Massachusetts Approves Pot Pardon Policy

The marijuana clemency, which applies to misdemeanor convictions, is the first of its kind in the United States.

Cannabis plants grow in a warehouse in a Hollandse Hoogtes production facility, one of 10 licensed growers as part of a Dutch government trial to legalize cannabis production for registered producers, in Bremmel, the Netherlands, on Dec. 14, 2023. Nick Gammon/AFP via Getty Images

The Massachusetts Governor’s Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a proposal to grant clemency to residents with past misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions, making the New England state the first to align with the Biden administration’s federal pot pardon program.

In a letter to the governor’s council maintaining the court’s “neutral position” on the pardon proposal, Chief Justice of Massachusetts Trial Courts Heidi Brieger estimated it to be around 22,000 while councilor Terrence Kennedy said the number he’s heard “kicked around” is closer to 69,000 to 100,000.