Illinois governor clears thousands of marijuana convictions

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois’ governor granted more than 11,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions on Tuesday, describing the step as a first wave of thousands of such expungements anticipated under the state’s new marijuana legalisation law.

The expungement process is a key part of the law, which takes effect Wednesday and made Illinois the 11th state to legalise marijuana for people 21 or older.

When they crafted the policy, Illinois lawmakers said they wanted to repair some of the damage caused by law enforcement’s efforts to combat sale and use of the drug, particularly in minority communities.

Democratic Governor JB Pritzker announced the pardons at a church on Chicago’s South Side.

He said clearing the misdemeanour offences from individuals’ records will make it easier for them to get jobs, housing and financial aid for college.

State officials estimate that 116,000 convictions for possession of 30 grammes or less of marijuana are eligible for pardons under the new law.

Illinois State Police were responsible for identifying those convictions and sending the records to the state’s Prisoner Review Board, which then forwarded eligible cases to the governor’s office for pardons.

Pritzker’s pardons allow the state’s attorney general to ask courts to formally clear the records.

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