3 days ago
Maryland Gov. Moore Grants 7,000 More Pardons In Cannabis Equity Push
OCTOBER 09: Governor Wes Moore speaks at an event in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty ... More Images for TIME)
Recently Gov. Wes Moore announced a series of actions designed to close the racial wealth gap in Maryland's cannabis industry, including nearly 7,000 additional pardons for simple possession. The designations—seeking to right the wrongs of systemic flaws in the state—are set to take effect Tuesday.
At a Juneteenth event last week, in front of a congregation at Bethel AME Church in Cambridge, the governor announced new Just Community designations to prioritize up to $400 million in competitive state investments in communities that have been disproportionately impacted through the years by cannabis policies. This follows the governor's clemency order he signed last year to pardon 175,000 convictions for possession.
'We know the racial wealth gap affects all of us. It hurts our economy; it restrains job growth and it limits our potential as a state,' said Gov. Moore. 'If you want a growing economy, you have to make sure it is an inclusive one. We cannot afford to simply 'meet' about the situation before us and delay progress—we need action. Together, we are going to continue the work of repair with action that delivers results.'
The pardons will impact 6,938 convictions for simple cannabis possession. It's the largest pardon for misdemeanor cannabis possession charges for any state in the country, the governor's office announced. The additional pardons were coordinated with the Maryland Judiciary to review cases since the first order was signed last June.
Maryland Just Communities and Other Actions
Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development created recommendations to designate 419 of Maryland's 1,463 census tracts as Just Communities, made up of 17 counties and the City of Baltimore. The five-year designation will 'create priority consideration' for competitive state funding in FY 2026.
'The first-of-its-kind designation of Maryland's Just Communities is a critical step in lifting the barriers that create separate and unequal neighborhoods all across our state,' said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. 'Fostering fairer development and addressing inequity not only creates healthier, more resilient communities, but generates lasting social and economic well-being for all.'
Per the governor's Expungement Reform Act, all pardoned cannabis possession offenses will be removed from public view by January 31, 2026. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services will also address pardoned convictions on criminal background checks.
Beyond cannabis, the governor announced a $1.3 billion investment in Maryland's Historically Black Colleges and Universities designed to help 1,500 Black Marylanders pursue homeownership. It also supports Maryland's Black-owned businesses with over $816 million in state procurement awards and will launch an effort to end concentrated poverty through the ENOUGH initiative.
Disparities in cannabis ownership persist: For instance, only 10 percent of investors in Maryland's cannabis industry are people of color, data from the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) revealed in 2020. Actions like these seek to close the racial gap, first and foremost in the way cannabis convictions are addressed.
Gov. Moore's administration has initiated several other equity-driven initiatives based in action to deliver results, including the launch of the Community Investment Venture Fund to help Maryland entrepreneurs of color secure access to capital to grow their businesses. The fund's first round of funding awards to address inequitable property appraisal values through the UPLIFT initiative and $4 million in funding to strengthen high-skill workforce development through the Roads to Careers program.
