Vermont House Approves Marijuana Expungement And Decriminalization Expansion Bill

The Vermont House gave preliminary approval on Friday to a bill that would provide for automatic expungements of marijuana convictions and allow people to possess and grow more cannabis without the threat of jail time than is currently allowed. Under the proposal, those with convictions for marijuana possession of up to two ounces, four mature plants and eight immature plants prior to January 2021 would have their records automatically cleared. Those who receive expungements would be notified by mail. The House voted to advance the bill in a 113-10 vote, and final third reading consideration to send it to the Senate is expected next week. While the state legalized possession of up to one ounce and cultivation of two plants in 2018, possession of a second ounce or third plant is currently considered a misdemeanor. That would change if the new bill is enacted. The legislation states that, starting in 2021, people with simple cannabis possession convictions would also be allowed to deny that record in employment, license or civil rights applications—regardless of whether they’ve received a notice that their expungement has been processed. That provision was added by the House Judiciary Committee, which got jurisdiction over the legislation following Senate approval of the bill in May. Language from a separate Senate expungements bill was included in the legislation and S. 234 cleared the panel last week. After the expected final approval by the House, the proposal will go back to the Senate for concurrence before being sent to the…

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Source : MJ moment
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