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| Gov. Jay Inslee signs the first set of pardons for misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions under his Marijuana Justice Initiative on Jan. 9, 2019. |
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he would pardon all prior federal offenses for simple possession of marijuana.
The measure aligns with policies and actions already underway by Gov. Jay Inslee, legislators, and courts in Washington state.
“Sending people to jail for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives – for conduct that is legal in many states.
“Today, we begin to right these wrongs.”
Inslee launched the Marijuana Justice Initiative in 2019 that allows people with prior convictions for misdemeanor marijuana possession to apply for a pardon. Later that year, the Legislature would pass SB 5605, which allowed multiple charges to be vacated and allowed a broader jurisdictional variety of convictions to be vacated.
“We still have an injustice that thousands of people have a…
