LA County District Attorney George Gascón Dismisses Nearly 60,000 Cannabis Convictions

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced on Monday in a press release that his office -with support from the Social Impact Center- will dismiss nearly 60,000 cannabis convictions "as part of his ongoing efforts to reverse the injustices of drug laws".

‘Unfinished Work of Proposition 64’

"Dismissing these convictions means the possibility of a better future to thousands of disenfranchised people who are receiving this long-needed relief," District Attorney Gascón said. "It clears the path for them to find jobs, housing and other services that previously were denied to them because of unjust cannabis laws."

Gascón was joined by Felicia Carbajal, executive director and community leader of non-profit, Social Impact Center, Lynne Lyman, former director of the Drug Policy Alliance, and Public Defenders, Ricardo García and Erika Anzoategui.

"Giving people with cannabis convictions a new lease on life by expunging the records is something I have worked on for years and I am grateful that we can now make it happen", Carbajal said.

"This is the unfinished work of Proposition 64 (...) We created the opportunity for old cannabis convictions to be cleared, but it was up to local district attorneys to actually make it happen." Lyman said.

In the press release, Azoategui noted that "the dismissal of 60,000 marijuana-related cases by DA Gascón is a pivotal step in reforming our criminal justice system. This sends the right signal to the community that the nation was wrong in its 'war on marijuana'."

Sealing Records

In Los Angeles County, roughly 66,000 cannabis convictions were dismissed last year after Assembly Bill 1793 was passed, which tasked prosecutors in California with affirmatively reviewing the convictions.

However, the review only covered cases from state Department of Justice data.

Further examination of LA County court records uncovered approximately 58,000 felony and misdemeanor cases dating back more than three decades that are eligible for dismissal.

In total, nearly 125,000 cannabis cases are being dismissed in Los Angeles County.

According to the press release, Gascón seeks to seal records and prevent convictions from hampering the ability of people to find jobs, affecting their immigration status, or receiving educational opportunities.

The announcement comes as part of the "Week of Action and Awareness (WOAA)," formerly known as National Expungement Week, which takes place from September 26 to October 3, and is organized by National Expungement Works (N.E.W).

Photo courtesy of Bill Oxford - Unsplash