As Trenton begins to debate a marijuana bill approved on Monday by a joint legislative committee, creating an efficient process for tossing out past convictions has become central to gaining support from lawmakers who represent predominantly African-American communities.
“If expungement wasn’t a part of this, legalization wouldn’t happen. They wouldn’t have the votes for it,” said Assemblyman Jamel C. Holley, the chairman of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation. “We represent minority communities and communities who have been impacted the most. This is very important to us.
“There would be no way that I would support legalization of marijuana without expungement.”