Representative Blumenauer Introduces Bill that Expunges Certain Federal Marijuana Offenses

Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer (Oregon) has been at the forefront of the campaign for marijuana reform in the United States. Today, Representative Blumenauer announced plans to introduce a bill in Congress that would expunge particular federal marijuana offenses that are no longer illegal in a number of states across the country.

The Clean Slate for Marijuana Offenses Act of 2015 would clear the criminal records for people who were federally charged with marijuana activity in a state where it is legal at the time. The bill would also expunge the records of those who were charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

Summary of the bill

The summary of Blumenauer’s bill states that, “Over seven million people have been arrested with marijuana possession when totaling state, federal and local law enforcement statistics over the past 10 years. The bill sends a strong signal to state and local jurisdictions that allowing a pathway for expungement for certain marijuana offenders should happen at all levels of law enforcement.”

Bill does not clear records for state-related charges

Since 2012, four states legalized recreational marijuana and twenty states decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, 609,423 of the 693,482 people arrested in 2013 for a marijuana law violation were cited for possession.

If the bill passes, it would not clear the records for over 600,000 people because most possession arrests are done at the state, not federal, level.

Set a precedent for states to follow

Although Representative Blumenauer said the numbers of federal marijuana possession charges are low, he hopes that introducing the bill will create a precedent at the federal level that states will follow. Representative Blumenauer released the following statement:

“I support legalizing marijuana at the federal level to put a stop to any state-federal conflicts once and for all, but it is also important that we create pathways for expungement for those who should never have been charged in the first place.”

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Michael Berger is Managing Partner of StoneBridge Partners, LLC and Founder of Technical420.com. Prior to entering the cannabis industry, Michael was an Equity Research Analyst at Raymond James Financial covering the Energy Sector. Michael has been featured in publications such as The Street, Bloomberg, US Money News, and hosts various cannabis events across North America.

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