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The city of Los Angeles is set to clear a number of marijuana convictions years after the state of California voted to legalize cannabis. In fact, up to 50,000 people could have their convictions cleared thanks to a special partnership.
According to the New York Post, Los Angeles-area prosecutors are working with the Code for America nonprofit tech organization. Code for America uses algorithms to find cases that are eligible to be cleared that may have otherwise slipped through the system.
The group will also be working with San Joaquin County to clear thousands of other convictions, per the report.
“This collaboration will improve people’s lives by erasing the mistakes of their past and hopefully lead them on a path to a better future,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement.
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Jennifer Pahlka, executive director of Code for America, added: “When we do this right, we show that government can make good on its promises, especially for the hundreds of thousands who have been denied jobs, housing and other opportunities despite the passage of laws intended to provide relief. Clear My Record changes the scale and speed of justice and has the potential to ignite change across the state and the nation.”
Los Angeles is just the latest major city to move towards wiping past marijuana convictions, joining the likes o Baltimore, Chicago, and Seattle. The state of Michigan is also looking to erase or reduce past marijuana conviction after voters moved to legalize pot a year ago.
