Anyone who's ever been charged with possession of one ounce or less of cannabis in Colorado will have their convictions overturned, according to a statement from the governor.
After signing an executive order, Gov. Jared Polis wrote in a statement the order would correct "some of the inequities" felt by people in Colorado who've been arrested for possessing marijuana.
“We are finally cleaning up some of the inequities of the past by pardoning 2,732 convictions for Coloradans who simply had an ounce of marijuana or less," the governor said in a statement. "It’s ridiculous how being written up for smoking a joint in the 1970s has followed some Coloradans throughout their lives and gotten in the way of their success."
The order is the latest law to decriminalize marijuana in Colorado after the state became the first to do so in 2014.
“Too many Coloradans have been followed their entire lives by a conviction for something that is no longer a crime, and these convictions have impacted their job status, housing, and countless other areas of their lives,” Polis said.
Those affected by the new order will not have to take extra steps to have their convictions overturned, but the order does not apply to residents who have received marijuana convictions in municipal courts and in other states, according to the Denver Post.
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