Nevadans with past misdemeanor pot convictions are eligible to have their records sealed. Additionally, thanks to 2 new laws passed in our Legislature last session, someone convicted of any misdemeanor, may ask the court to seal their record just 1 year after their sentence is completed.
Many cities and counties, including San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle, are erasing or reducing nonviolent marijuana convictions through their office. “Individuals with marijuana convictions, particularly for amounts that are now legal to carry, are carrying a tremendous burden when it comes to finding employment, finding housing,” said Myesha Braden, director of the Criminal Justice Project for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “They are paying a cost that they will continue to pay as long as that conviction is on their record.”
But Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a recent interview, “I’m not going to take an active role in seeking the vacation or seeking the dismissals.” He is taking a much different approach in Nevada than other states and jurisdictions.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sent out this month a call to action asking prosecutors in cannabis legal states to expunge the records of people convicted on misdemeanor marijuana charges.
The strong argument, is that in states that have legalized recreational marijuana, people are still stuck with past pot convictions for the same thing that now rakes in millions of dollars for their states coffers.