LGN Law Clerk Authors Minnesota Law Review Blog Post
LGN Law Clerk Abby Ward recently authored a blog post inspired by her experience at the firm working on a pro bono criminal expungement case. Her blog post originally appeared on the Minnesota Law Review’s website and can be read in full below.
KEEP ROLLING: AFTER PROVIDING AUTOMATIC EXPUNGEMENT FOR CERTAIN MARIJUANA OFFENSES MINNESOTA SHOULD ENACT AUTOMATIC EXPUNGEMENT FOR OTHER CRIMINAL RECORDS
The racially discriminatory impact from the War on Drugs is clear,[1] and while marijuana legalization is one step in addressing the inequities of America’s criminal justice system, the work does not end there. States should also enact broader expungement reforms. This 2023 session, Minnesota is likely going to legalize recreational marijuana.[2] The current House bill (Cannabis Bill) would automatically expunge[3] lower offenses of marijuana use after an individual meets certain requirements.[4] As state legislatures increasingly consider recreational marijuana legalization, activists argue those bills must include proposals to help people easily expunge their records, like the Cannabis Bill provision.[5] As a result, marijuana legalization is a groundbreaking area for criminal justice reform and should be utilized to advance other criminal record reform.[6]
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