Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order on Thursday granting 1,351 pardons to people who had been convicted in that state for possession of two ounces of marijuana or less, sentences that affect mostly Latinos and blacks.
"Many people with criminal records want a second chance and you have earned it," read the letters sent to each of the people who received the pardon.
"Adults can legally possess marijuana in Colorado, just like beer or wine," Polis said in an official statement.
"
It is unfair that 1,351 other Coloradans had permanent blemishes on their records
that interfere with employment, credit and gun ownership, but today we have fixed that," he insisted.
The governor increased the amount of marijuana that people over 21 can legally possess in Colorado from one ounce to two ounces.MmeEmil / Getty Images / iStockphoto
In Colorado, the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes has been legal since 2014 and, according to official reports, from that date to today
the state has received $ 10 billion in profits from this activity
and more than $ 387 million in tax revenue in 2020 alone. .
In the letters that the governor sent, the crime for which each person was tried is detailed and information is provided on how each one of them tried to rebuild their lives after completing their sentence.
It is clear that he has learned from his past mistakes and has become a better person.
Jared Polis, GOVERNOR OF COLORADO
Recipients include CPAs, funeral directors, members of the United States Navy, boxing trainers, social workers and at-risk youth mentors.
“It is clear that he
has learned from his past mistakes and has become a better person
.
I hope that this pardon gives him even more opportunities for success, ”says the governor to one of the beneficiaries.
Through a bill, Polis increased from one ounce to two ounces, the amount of marijuana that people over the age of 21 can legally possess in Colorado.
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Thus the pardon "applies to state-level convictions for possession of two ounces or less of marijuana."
To find out if a conviction on your record has been pardoned, authorities ask you to fill out a form on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation website.
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Those who have been "convicted of municipal crimes related to marijuana, are arrested or with a judicial summons without conviction, are not included," the statement details.
"Once a conviction is pardoned, it will not appear in the criminal record
obtained on the record checking website," the text states.
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The more than 1,300 people who were granted a pardon for their convictions weren't the only beneficiaries.
This Thursday the governor also reduced the sentence of Latino trucker Rogel Aguilera-Mederos from 110 to 10 years, who was found guilty of the death of four people after a tragic traffic accident in which the young man lost the brakes of the vehicle he was driving. and crashed into several vehicles on a highway.
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After the attention attracted by the case, which sparked protests from other drivers, requests from different personalities and a petition with millions of signatures, Polis reduced the young Cuban's sentence.
