By Imani Carroll
San Francisco announced that thousands of inmates who were arrested and charged with non-violent marijuana offenses will be freed and have their criminal records expunged.
Back in 2016, California, along with a number of other states like Washington and Oregon, legalized recreational use of marijuana. The legalization of marijuana created jobs and lowered crimes related to the drug. Forbe’s Janet Burns says in her article, “Violent Crime Has Dropped In Border States With Legal Cannabis: Study”, that “violent crime in [border] states has fallen by an average of 13% since legal cannabis was put on the books.”
According to NPR’s “San Francisco To Dismiss Thousands Of Marijuana Convictions” by James Doubek, “[p]rosecutors in San Francisco will throw out thousands of marijuana-related convictions of residents dating back to 1975.” With this being said, 4,940 inmates will benefit from this.
German Lopez, a writer for Vox, says in his article, “California prosecutors are clearing old marijuana convictions. Thousands will benefit” that clearing the records of nearly 5,000 people may allow them to “have an easier time finding jobs, housing, and a college education.”
SF Gate’s “SF will wipe thousands of marijuana convictions off the books” by Evan Sernoffsky, says that, “A marijuana conviction can affect whether a person qualifies for federally subsidized housing, student loans and disability insurance.” The decriminalization of these crimes will create opportunities for these people.
It’s great news all across the city, and many hope that soon other states will follow in San Francisco’s footsteps. Plus, I believe it is definitely a great step towards a more fair justice system. According Sernoffsky, a study done by the American Civil Liberties Union found that despite similar levels of use, black people were twice as likely to be arrested for marijuana use than white people.
In addition to this, the study also found that black people were four times more likely to be arrested for possession than their white counterparts. This is a great step to improving the bias justice system that many impoverished and minority groups find themselves having to fight against.