IN FOCUS Maryland Pardons 175K Cannabis Convictions Governor makes history with executive order W hen campaigning for the legalization of taxed and regulated marijuana markets, legalization advocates and other cannabis industry stakeholders routinely laud legalization's potential to advance criminal justice reform, including the release of hundreds of thousands of Americans who remain imprisoned for MJ-related offenses. But once a state legalizes cannabis and gets its commercial market off the ground, little attention is paid to the marijuana prisoners-a disproportionately high number of them people of color-who were supposed to be among the beneficiaries of legalization. In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore helped his state bridge the disparity by signing an executive order that pardoned more than 175,000 convictions for marijuana possession and paraphernalia, in what the Last Prisoner Project called " the largest state cannabis pardon to date. " U.S. President Joe Biden called on governors to pardon marijuana arrest victims after he pardoned an estimated 13,000 individuals for simple possession last year. In response, the Last Prisoner Project sent tens of thousands of letters to governors across the United States urging the release of prisoners incarcerated for marijuana offenses. The group also provided the pen that Moore used to sign the pardon. - Omar Sacirbey 56 July-August 2024 | MJBizMagazine Jason Ortiz of Last Prisoner Project speaks at an event to commemorate the mass pardoning of marijuana convictions. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore celebrates with marijuana reform advocates after signing an order to pardon cannabis convictions in the state. Photos courtesy of Last Prisoner Project and the Office of Maryland Governor Wes Moore Maryland Gov. Wes Moore uses a pen supplied by the Last Prisoner Project to sign an executive order that pardoned more than 175,000 convictions for marijuana possession and paraphernalia.