More than 15,000 people who were convicted for low-level marijuana possession in Nevada have been automatically pardoned under a resolution from the governor that was unanimously approved by the state’s Board of Pardons Commissioners on Wednesday.
The measure extends unconditional clemency to individuals with possession convictions of up to one ounce from January 1986 to January 2017. It was introduced to the board by Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) last week.
More than six years after the state legalized the adult use of marijuana, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday he plans to pardon thousands of people convicted of small-time possession charges — the latest in a series of moves by states and cities to ease the burdens people face from having minor criminal records for using pot.
On the West Coast, legislators have been working to enact social justice reform by giving individuals who were previously convicted of cannabis-related crimes to clear their records. California's Proposition 64 allows anyone with cannabis convictions to apply to have their records cleared, and several West Coast cities — from San Diego to Seattle — have even gone so far as to automatically clear former convictions. Last year, Colorado passed a bill allowing those convicted of pot misdemeanors to apply to have their records cleared, and Oregon is considering a similar bill, as well.