Doesn't starting the year 2021 off with a clean record sound great? It is for 500,000 individuals in the state of Illinois when Governor J.B. Pritzker announced last week that nearly half a million non-felony cannabis-related arrest records were expunged. In addition to that, thousands of low-level cannabis convictions were also pardoned.
“Statewide, Illinoisans hold hundreds of thousands low-level cannabis-related records, a burden disproportionately shouldered by communities of color,” Pritzker said in a statement. “We will never be able to fully remedy the depth of that damage. But we can govern with the courage to admit the mistakes of our past — and the decency to set a better path forward.”
The reasoning behind the sudden expungement comes from state legislation in Illinois that mandated that nearly 50,000 cannabis-related arrest records must be expunged by January 1st, 2021. As the legalization of marijuana seems to be on the doorstep of many states, the expungement of many weed and cannabis-related cases in Illinois is groundbreaking.
Can You Expunge a Marijuana Drug Possession Case in Florida?
While this currently means nothing for the state of Florida, Illinois expunging records as such will pave the road ahead for cannabis regulation in Florida as medical marijuana has already been legalized here in Florida. We are also seeing county by county in Florida that the leniency in marijuana is at an all-time high. A first offense marijuana charge in Palm Beach County can now simply just result in a diversion program which means the case will be dismissed.
Are you interested in sealing and expunging your case in Florida? If you want your record wiped clean, you won't want to miss out on this webinar while it's free only this month. Click here for instant access...
If you've been arrested for drug possession, contact us immediately at (561) 671-5995 or click here and our experienced criminal defense attorney will provide the help you need.