New York Senate Allows for More Low-Level Marijuana Conviction Expunctions

As of July 2020, the New York Senate has passed a bill that expands the possibility of expunctions for low-level marijuana misdemeanors to many more individuals. This piece of state legislation, signed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, fixes the language used in the past applying to this issue, which barred individuals who were convicted on marijuana charges before 1977 from receiving an automatic expunction.
This past legislation operated on the stature that state laws were much stricter on marijuana charges in 1977 and before, therefore making a marijuana conviction a harsher offense. The law was straightened out in this new senate legislation by simply changing the legislation's wording from marijuana "violation or violations" to marijuana "misdemeanor and/or violation." This allows cases before 1977 to receive the same weight and consideration for expunction as those cases that occurred after 1977.

This change in legislation is one of a few smaller changes in favor of marijuana users that has swept the New York Senate in the past few days. The legislation came only one day after another piece of legislation was passed that abolished the possibility of tenants being evicted for the legal use of medical marijuana. Similar propositions have been pushed by lawmakers to less avail, such as a proposition to ban the use of pre-employment drug testing.

Minor reforms such as these have been made in an effort to accommodate the long standing stalemate within the state of New York on the issue of whether or not marijuana should be legalized. Many state politicians and lawmakers have voiced their opinions on the subject, including calling for the decriminalization of marijuana into requests for police reform in New York. However, it seems that until the Senate can reach a consensus on the legalization of marijuana, strides forward will most likely come in the form of modest reforms to marijuana legislation. In the meantime, this piece of legislation intends to distribute a great deal of automatic expunctions that will no doubt begin the rehabilitation process for many New York inhabitants.

If you're burdened with the effects of past criminal charges, please visit us at Easy Expunctions to see whether or not you are eligible for a quick and Easy Expunction. We may be able to help you get your life back on track.