Years After Cannabis Legalization, Los Angeles to Expunge 66,000 Marijuana Convictions

Almost four years ago, California voters approved a measure to legalize marijuana, and at the same time approved expunging previous criminal convictions or reducing sentences for weed-related crimes. Now, according to a post on the Press Democrat site, Los Angeles County prosecutors will use technology to eliminate or reduce up to 66,000 old marijuana convictions.

Code for America, a non-profit tech organization, is working with the county of Los Angeles to identify marijuana cases, dating back as far as 1961. Code for America uses computer algorithms to identify such cases, and their work has resulted in LA County prosecutors requesting the dismissal of 62,000 felony and 4,000 misdemeanor weed cases. According to the article, “Of those getting relief under the plan, approximately 32% are African American, 20% are white, 45% are Latino, and 3% are other or unknown.”