An executive state official signs into law sweeping reforms, based on minor drug offenses.
Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore passed an executive order pardoning over 175,000 individuals convicted of misdemeanor marijuana charges. This is the most extensive state-level pardon in the Nation, according to the Associated Press.
Shiloh Jordan lost his job after a cannabis conviction popped up in a background check. He was excited about the new shift in perspective and the practical changes it will bring in the future.
“It means a lot, because I know a lot of people that have been convicted for petty cannabis charges,” said Jordan. “It really affected their whole way of life and their whole way of thinking.”
The Government. reflected on Maryland’s history of discriminatory practices, emphasizing how Black Marylanders were three times more likely, than White Marylanders, to face drug charges before legalization.
Moore’s order will alleviate this issue and provide increased spaces for these disenfranchised communities to thrive and succeed, stated the article.
Heather Warnken views this order as a tremendous win for thousands of Maryland citizens to receive economic opportunities that were previously unavailable. She is the Executive Director of the University of Baltimore’s School of Law Center for Criminal Justice Reform.
This historic move will open up increased housing, educational, and employment opportunities for previous citizens hindered by their charges.
“This is about changing how both government and society view those who have been walled off from opportunity because of broken and uneven policies,” Moore said.
