Birmingham AL to pardon 15,000 with marijuana convictions!

[Snowboarder_Bo]

WTF is this? Sanity? In Alabama?

Birmingham to pardon 15,000 with marijuana convictions

The pardons, linked to city court cases, are automatic, Woodfin said in an announcement made on April 20, a day that many associate with marijuana use.

Many people have a hard time finding work because of drug convictions, and Woodfin said the move would allow them to rejoin the workforce and provide for their families.

“Here’s why we’re doing this – no one should be held up by a single past mistake. No one should be denied job opportunities or freedoms due to missteps from the past,” he said in a statement.

The pardons will eliminate convictions for marijuana possession from criminal records from 1990 through 2020 but do not affect pending cases, said a news release. A pardon also does not cancel fines, fees or other costs linked to a marijuana conviction.

[ISiddiqui]

Birmingham is a fairly liberal town. They’ve had Democratic mayors since 1975, and Black Democratic mayors since 1979.

[Jackmannii]

Even without reading the story, I figured the timing of the news release (4/20) wasn’t accidental.

Think President Biden will declare that date a national High Holiday like Willie Nelson wants?