Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced plans on Wednesday to pardon those in the state who have been convicted of simple marijuana possession. If approved by the Governor’s Council, the pardons would apply to all prior adult misdemeanor convictions for marijuana possession.
“We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of convictions,” Healey said. “It’s a sweeping, blanket pardon - all misdemeanor convictions for possession.”
Healey said the pardons, if approved by the council, will be “automatic.”
“People do not need to do anything,” she said. “You will be pardoned and it will be cleared from your record.”
Forgive my ignorance, but could this be used by another state in a legal sense for precedent? Either way, it is exciting and encouraging. You can feel how you care about the Hunger Games movies, but the Jeffery Wright line regarding laws made by man can surely be unmade by man rings out to me here.
Certainly not usable for legal precedent. I’m no expert, but this
A: didn’t happen in a court
And
B: wouldn’t be in the same jurisdiction as any other state that would want to do similar anyway.
Even if this had been decided by the courts, it wouldn’t have been a federal court. Precedent doesn’t jump state lines outside of federal court.
Marijuana has been legal in Massachusetts for 6 years now - I assumed they had already done this. Regardless of your feelings on the topic, it doesn’t make sense to keep people in jail for behavior that is now legal