Persons imprisoned for marijuana could be freed, records expunged- Hon Malone
"Like many other jurisdictions, we are finding that there is an anomaly or an imbalance that is being created, which must be addressed earliest as possible," Hon Malone said at the June 30, 2020, sitting of the House of Assembly.
Previous convictions for medicinal use
He said with the imbalance, "there are often a large number of persons who would have ended up in courts and the prison systems for possession of very small quantities of cannabis such as the range of the volume we are seeking to decriminalise through the medical marijuana legislation."
He said, notwithstanding chronic abuses, there are instances where persons who were held by the police and pleaded that it was for medicinal purposes.
According to Hon Malone, with the passing of the law, it is unfair for persons previously convicted of marijuana-related crimes to be walking around with a record and stain on their name, hindering them from getting a police certificate, and in some instances a job.
"But someone else who commits the act after the discrimination takes effect does not face the same hurdle."
Levelling the playing field
He said the fair thing to do is to level the playing field through a mechanism that would remove the blemish for actions committed before the decriminalisation of the plant.
It is unclear how soon the government will be undertaking measures to remove records of persons prosecuted for marijuana use as specified by Hon Malone.
After the Third reading of the bill, Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) warned that it is not a licence for the recreational use of marijuana, rather for medicinal use only.
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31 Responses to “Persons imprisoned for marijuana could be freed, records expunged- Hon Malone”
a) you still consider him your boyfriend?
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d) if you still will allow him to beat you, he will be jailed for assault
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