Marijuana legalization and expungement righting wrongs of the past

With the legalization of marijuana in Maryland, many local officials here on the shore are speaking out about what it means for those who have been targeted in the past.

Maryland State Public Defender Natasha Dartigue says it is a positive change, but this is only a drop in the bucket.

“It is just one step to try to eradicate all the harm that has been caused in terms of breaking down communities.”

 The legalization of recreational use of Marijuana in Maryland has allowed the opportunity to right the wrongs of many people of color in lower income communities. 

“When we speak about the war on drugs, we know that that was a prior practice that we are still feeling the vestiges of and changes in the cannabis law, expanding opportunities so individuals can have a clean start,” Dartigue said.

A big change with marijuana legalization is the Marijuana Odor Law.

“Where police can no longer use the smell of marijuana as a pretext of probable cause to stop and search a vehicle,” Dartigue said. “Very often we found that to be the case in the past. So, hopefully that will decrease the encounters between individuals and law enforcement.”

Another big change is the time it takes to expunge previous marijuana related changes. Prior to July 1st, it was 10 years before the charges could be expunged. Now, it is 3 years. Commission President of Cambridge, Lajan Cephas, says a personal friend who was a bail bondsman gave a client a ride that cost him his clean record for background checks for years.

“So he gave that person a ride,” Cephas said. “Just so happened to get pulled over.”

“ He had 25 thousand dollars in cash,” Cephas said. “They found some seeds on the person who was riding with him and it caused an arrest and was on his background.”

Wicomico County NAACP President, Monica Brooks, believes these arrests can lead to job losses, incarceration, and disruption of families for people of color.

“Wicomico County is just like other counties across this nation where we still have disproportionate numbers of people of color being victims of unlawful arrests or harassment.”

“So, when you are talking about communities that are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement, then you are talking about a lack of opportunities whose jobs, ways of life and families are being torn apart,” Brooks said.