According to District Attorney George Gascon, the city of San Francisco will apply the marijuana legalization laws to past criminal cases.
This means that thousands of felony convictions that go back decades will be either expunged or reduced to misdemeanors.
This is huge for many people who have felony convictions on their records that are marijuana related. Having a felony conviction can stop you from getting a job you want or being eligible for some government benefits.
According to Gascon, San Francisco prosecutors will review and wipe out convictions en masse.
His office willl be dismissing and sealing over 3,000misdemeanor marijuana convictions that date back to 1975 in the city.
He also said that prosecutors will review and, if necessary, re-sentence 4,940 felony marijuana cases.
“Instead of waiting for people to petition — for the community to come out — we have decided that we will do so ourselves,” Gascón explained. “We believe it is the right thing to do. We believe it is the just thing to do.”
