Oregon to Erase Past Cannabis Convictions

Even after legalized cannabis, a simple cannabis offense can ruin a person’s life. Oregon legalized recreational cannabis July 1, but anyone who was convicted of a cannabis crime before then may be  haunted with a conviction on their record— until now. Oregon recently decided to offer the option to seal records for those convicted of cannabis crimes.

The Portland Metropolitan Public Defender’s office is running an ‘expungement clinic.’ Oregon till provide repentant convicts with the ability to wipe his or her record clean after 10 years. The clinic is now offering to expunge serious cannabis violations beginning in 2016.  The law states that courts must observe the plant’s current legal status. Another new law offers those under 21 with the option to expunge his or her record on the fast track. These laws enable patients to pass a background check and get a job.

Jenny M. Roberts is a professor of law at American University in Washington, DC. Roberts told The New York Times, “Oregon is one of the first states to really grapple with the issue of what do you do with a record of something that used to be a crime and no longer is.”

Oregon has been blazing the way, being the first state to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis in 1973. Oregon also has imposed the most lenient tax regulations as well. Across state lines, cannabis businesses in Washington pay 37 percent tax compared to Oregon’s 17 percent tax plus a 3 percent optional local tax. Leland R. Berger is an expert in cannabis law and stated, “In criminal law reform on marijuana, Oregon has gone further than anyone else.