While Colorado has come a long way allowing recreational marijuana for some time, the state still has old drug laws that keep residents suffering.
Over 10,000 people in Denver have been convicted of low-level marijuana crimes between the years of 2001 and 2013.
Though these crimes wouldn’t be considered crimes today, they still sit on thousands of criminal records but maybe not for long.
Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock has ordered a “citywide effort” to vacate and expunge low-level marijuana convictions for residents.
“For too long, the lives of low-income residents and those living in our communities of color have been negatively affected by low-level marijuana convictions,” said Hancock in a news release on Tuesday.
He added, “This is an injustice that needs to be corrected, and we are going to provide a pathway to move on from an era of marijuana prohibition that has impacted the lives of thousands of people.”
Theresa Marchetta, Hancock’s spokeswoman said, “People already can try to expunge records on their own, but the city now will proactively help them.”
