密歇根新闻广播 加州撤销与大麻相关罪行

 

There are roughly 50,000 people in Michigan who have been convicted of cannabis-related crimes. Now that voters have legalized recreational marijuana, advocates are working to get those convictions cleared.

That same process began in California after voters legalized recreational cannabis there in 2016. We talk to Capital Public Radio reporter Scott Rodd about what Michigan might learn from California's experience.

Rodd says that Proposal 64, the ballot¹ initiative that legalized recreational marijuana in California, included language stating that people who were arrested and convicted on charges related to marijuana could petition the courts to have their records reviewed, and potentially cleared or reduced.

Michigan's marijuana legalization law, Proposal One, did not have any similar mandate². But organizers of the ballot initiative campaign have said that they hope the Michigan Legislature will pass an expungement³ law.

Rodd says having a marijuana-related conviction on your record can hurt your chances of getting into college or finding a job. It can also restrict you from accessing certain government benefits.

It's not simply having a blemish⁴ on your criminal record. It has a pretty significant impact beyond that, Rodd explained

California expected a flood of appeals when the law was first passed, but Rodd says that things didn't really pan out that way. That's because not everyone who was eligible⁵ to have their convictions reviewed knew it was an option. Criminal justice reform advocates and cannabis industry groups have been trying to get the word out, and Rodd says the state has also taken steps to reach people with marijuana convictions.

Last year, there was a law that was passed, signed by Governor Brown, that requires the state Department of Justice to identify people who may be eligible for clearance⁶ or reduction, and to send those convictions to county prosecutors⁷ by this summer, Rodd explained.

Cities like Sacramento and San Francisco and Los Angeles have said they plan to move even faster to review convictions in their local databases.

While Michigan does not yet have a law requiring a review of marijuana-related crimes, Rodd says California's experience has lessons to teach if state lawmakers choose to move forward on legislation. Most importantly, he says, is making sure that there's a plan to ensure that people with prior marijuana convictions know what their options are.

I think putting a law on the books is one thing, but ensuring that there's clarity to that, that there is clear communication about that, and that there's support along the way for folks who do want to take advantage of the opportunity to clear their past convictions [is also important], Rodd said.

This post was written by Stateside production assistant Isabella Isaacs-Thomas.

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

3 expungement   

n.expunge（擦去，拭去）的变形

参考例句：

4 blemish   

v.损害；玷污；瑕疵，缺点

参考例句：

• The slightest blemish can reduce market value.只要有一点最小的损害都会降低市场价值。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

5 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

6 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

7 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。