Maryland Governor Wes Moore has issued over 175,000 pardons for marijuana convictions, marking the most extensive state-level pardon in the country. The executive order aims to mitigate the past injustices of the war on drugs, specifically targeting misdemeanors that have affected tens of thousands of Maryland residents.

Advocates see the executive order as a significant step toward eliminating barriers to housing, employment, and education for individuals convicted of now-legal activities.

Gov. Moore highlighted that the pardons address long-standing racial disparities in cannabis arrests and noted the enduring negative impacts of such convictions on individuals’ lives. 

The pardons cover over 150,000 misdemeanor cannabis possession convictions and over 18,000 related paraphernalia offenses.

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