Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have filed a bill to provide for the expungement of records for people who’ve received presidential pardons, including non-violent marijuana offenses.
The legislation from Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and David Trone (D-MD), along with four other cosponsors, is named after Weldon Angelos, who was granted a pardon under the Trump administration for his own cannabis conviction and has since become an advocate for reform.
While pardons represent formal forgiveness, they are a largely a symbolic gesture, as a records can still be accessed. As such, many pardon recipients continue to face “barriers to reentry into society, hindering their ability to fully participate in their communities and lead productive lives,” the new bill’s findings section says.
President Joe Biden, who’s issued mass marijuana pardons for possession offenses, had previously falsely stated that his clemency actions also expunged people’s records. But in May, he finally acknowledged the limitations of his pardons and argued that “records should be expunged as well.”
“The expungement of criminal records can help pardoned individuals who have paid their debt to society and received a full pardon for their offenses move forward and contribute to society in meaningful ways, as well as reduce the negative
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
