Hundreds of marijuana convictions will be thrown out this year as the push towards legalization nears closer.
In what is set to mark the first occasion in New York City history, multiple cases of possession of weed will be erased. According to a report by the New York Post, the Brooklyn DA’s office is pushing to eliminate more than 1,400 warrants in misdemeanor marijuana possession cases as well as a handful of past convictions. The warrants were issued for a “failure to appear in court on low-level possession cases that the DA’s office no longer prosecutes.”
The plan runs in conjunction with Brooklyn’s “Begin Again” initiative which began running sessions this year in September. Speaking about the program, Brooklyn DA, Eric Gonzalez said, “our Begin Again initiative has been a tremendous success in helping thousands of New Yorkers resolve their outstanding summonses. I am committed to giving the people of Brooklyn a new start by helping them remove the threat of an arrest and other negative consequences associated with an open summons warrant.”
Since the implementation of the project, Brooklyn citizens have had the opportunity to meet with attorneys from the Legal Aid Society for advice on how to resolve their outstanding warrants, specifically about the unlawful possession of marijuana but also for warrants in regards to issues such as “failure to have a dog license”, “littering”, and “spitting” among others.
With the legalization of the substance on the horizon for New York State, a debate currently revolves around what the city and state will do with all the outstanding criminal charges. According to the Post, over 20,000 cases will be eventually be cleared with the help of the “Begin Again” program.
Featured image: allbud.com