MARYLAND

BREAKING: MD GOV. WES MOORE GRANTS LARGEST US CANNABIS PARDON!


LPP applauds Gov. Moore and his administration’s actions to rectify racial disparities caused by cannabis prohibition, including this historic pardon that goes further than any previous cannabis clemency grant by including cannabis paraphernalia charges, in addition to possession charges. Together, more than 175,000 convictions will be pardoned.


This action follows President Biden's continued call on governors to grant cannabis clemency after he pardoned an estimated 13,000 people for simple possession. LPP has amplified this call through our Pardons to Progress campaign that has sent tens of thousands of letters to governors across the United States. Having answered the call today, Governor Moore brings Maryland forward as a champion of cannabis justice, as evident in our State of Cannabis Justice Report. Read our full press release on our blog here.


Symbolically, Governor Moore has granted these pardons using LPP’s “Pen to Right History” – a pen that loved ones of people impacted by cannabis incarceration around the country have used to write letters to elected officials asking for justice. By using the pen, Gov. Moore joins LPP and all of their constituents in challenging other governors and leaders across the country to take up this “Pen to Right History” in their own states. 

When a state legalizes adult-use cannabis, it is acknowledging that public interest has turned against the continued criminalization of cannabis. However, simply repealing the prohibition of cannabis is insufficient: millions of individuals across the U.S. still bear the lifelong burden of having a cannabis record, and tens of thousands are actively serving sentences for cannabis-related convictions. Maryland is one of the few states that has not only legalized adult-use cannabis but has also simultaneously set up processes that can provide retroactive relief to individuals that have been criminalized during prohibition. Governor Moore has also worked with LPP to pardon over 150,000 individuals with cannabis convictions. Get started by learning more about the state of cannabis justice in Maryland below!

The State of Cannabis Justice in MD

WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR GOVERNOR

Americans on both sides of the aisle support pardoning those with cannabis-related convictions. But the public needs to pressure their governors to do what’s right. Through our Pardons to Progress campaign, you can urge your governor to deliver bold action and immediate relief by granting clemency to the tens of thousands of people still incarcerated for cannabis in your state.

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