Washington State wants to expunge certain marijuana convictions

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The state becomes the latest to consider reversing small-time marijuana crime convictions

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed off on a bill last week that will allow courts in the state to expunge certain records of minor cannabis possession. The change is expected to favorably benefit as many as 60,000 in the state and is similar to what has been taking place across the country as marijuana policies are softened. However, Washington is seeing one holdout – Yakima County is apparently not willing to play by the rules.

Anyone in Washington who was 21 years old or older when convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession can submit a request to the courts to have the charge(s) reversed. If approved, the record will be cleaned and those individuals will not be required to divulge the conviction when applying for housing, employment, credit or anything else.

Several counties in Washington beat state lawmakers to the punch, announcing that they would expunge records proactively. Seattle made the move a year ago and King and Pierce Counties followed suit last year. However, Yakima County is not going to follow the lead. Yakima, known as the “Alabama of Washington,” has a gung-ho prosecuting attorney who apparently is a huge fan of former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Joe Brusic states, “Individuals in Yakima County can call an attorney, and we can discuss it. But, we are not going to agree to it just because it is legal now. When they were convicted, they were breaking the law.”

The good news is, and what Brusic may not realize, is that his opinion doesn’t really matter. The Washington State Attorney General’s office states, “Courts vacate convictions, not prosecutors.”