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Washington (CNN) - More than 150,000 people will see their previous convictions sealed by marijuana closed thanks to a law in New York that entered into force on August 28.
The new bill, signed by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in July, eliminates criminal penalties for possession of less than two ounces of marijuana (about 56 grams). The law reduces the fine for possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana (about 28 grams) to a fine of $ 50, regardless of criminal history, and a maximum of a fine of $ 200 for possession of between 1 and 2 ounces .
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Cuomo said the bill is a "beginning of a new chapter in the criminal justice system" and that it has been delayed a lot.
“By providing people with a way to have their records challenged, including those who have been unfairly affected by their race or ethnicity, and reducing the penalty for illegal possession of marijuana to a fine, we are giving many New Yorkers the opportunity to live better and more productive, successful and healthy lives, ”the governor said in a statement.
More than 202,000 convictions that have been placed in the state of New York from the late 1970s until mid-June 2019 will be closed and 24,409 people will no longer have a criminal record, Justice Services Division spokeswoman told CNN New York State Criminal, Janine Kava.
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Under the new law, the sentences are automatically sealed in the system, but for people to have the actual records destroyed, they must request it from the court where the conviction occurred.
"As of today, together with the Division of Criminal Justice Services of the State of New York, we have suppressed any indication of past cases in the search for criminal records," Lucian Chalfen, spokesman for the Unified Court System, told CNN from the state of New York. "In the cases of marijuana set out above, our system currently closes them after conviction and will continue to function that way."
The mayor of New York, and current Democratic presidential candidate, Bill de Blasio has pressed for the decriminalization of marijuana and has called for the legalization of its recreational use. In 2018, de Blasio asked the New York Police Department to stop arresting people trapped smoking marijuana in public in an effort to curb the number of minorities arrested for possession of marijuana.
The New York General Assembly did not legalize the recreational use of marijuana in June.
- Kate Sullivan of CNN contributed to this report.
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