Massachusetts becomes first state to blanket pardon low-level marijuana charges

Massachusetts is now the first state to pardon the crimes of offenders charged with simple pot possession — after President Joe Biden did the same two years ago.

Gov. Maura Healey’s first-in-the-nation plan to issue a blanket pardon for simple marijuana possession was met with the unanimous approval of the Governor’s Council on Wednesday, when councilors expressed broad support but wondered if it went far enough for the potentially hundreds of thousands of people hit by the state’s now-defunct marijuana laws.

Healey’s pardon, according to the request for consent she sent to the council, would apply to “all adult persons who, on or before the date of this letter, have been convicted of a misdemeanor of possession of marijuana.”

According to Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, who chairs the Governor’s Council, the body’s vote means that anyone charged with a misdemeanor crime of marijuana possession before March 13 of this year is cleared of that crime with immediate effect.

“The exciting thing is, no one is required to take any additional action, they are pardoned, effective with the Governor’s Council vote,” Driscoll told reporters after the council’s approval of the plan.

Those with misdemeanor crime currently staining their record can apply for, but are not required to have, a certificate of pardon issued by the state. In the weeks to come, their records will be updated in the state’s court systems to show that past charges for marijuana possession are marked as “pardoned.”