Courts Apply New Pot Laws to Past Convictions

Until recently, marijuana has been criminalized in every state, and continues to be illegal at the federal level today.  Colorado’s Amendment 64 and Washington’s Initiative 502 made possession of one ounce of marijuana legal for persons twenty-one or older.  However, both laws failed to comment on whether these laws would apply retroactively.  A recent Colorado Court of Appeals decision held that Amendment 64 is a significant change of law allowing, in the interests of justice, retroactive application.

Let’s Get Maryland Marijuana Reform Rolling

   State with legal medical cannabis.

   State with decriminalized cannabis possession laws.*

   State with both medical and decriminalization laws.

   State with legalized cannabis.

Two recent studies by the ACLU and PewResearch Center suggest that marijuana laws are not being reformed as the public demands.  In fact, the studies suggest just the opposite: that marijuana laws are being enforced more than ever before, in a time where legalization is becoming favored by citizens.  But what can we, as citizens who frequently feel powerless to change the laws of the State, do to expedite such reform?