Rhode Island: a new law to erase cannabis users' records

The state of Rhode Island decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis in 2013, and is one of the states likely to legalize adult use. soon. Earlier this month, a new law was passed allowing people with a criminal record due to possession of small quantities of cannabis to have their criminal record expunged.

A resolved inconsistency

Many people had warned legislators that, despite the change in the law with regard to cannabis users, many were seeing their lives severely affected by a previous conviction for acts now punishable only by a fine. Indeed, a criminal record in the United States can be a source of problems when acquiring a job, a weapon, housing, a loan or even a scholarship.

What's more, it was incoherent that some people should still be penalized in a number of areas for something that is no longer considered a crime, but a simple infraction. As the press release official announcing the new law: «When an act has been decriminalized and we have decided that it does not constitute an offense to society, there is no reason to leave this burden on the shoulders of those who have been previously convicted.»

Hope for former «criminals»

This change will have a real effect on the lives of thousands of people, and not just in Rhode Island. Many similar initiatives have been passed following changes in cannabis laws, such as in California, The U.S., where it is also possible to apply to have cannabis-related offenses/crimes removed from one's criminal record. The states of Colorado, Washington, Vermont, Oregon and New Jersey have all passed or proposed laws automatically erasing misdemeanors from criminal records.

The measure also hopes to bring back a little more social justice. The first victims of cannabis prohibition were people of color: in the U.S., blacks are significantly more likely to be arrested, convicted and incarcerated for cannabis, despite a rate of use that is virtually the same as for whites. This, along with other socio-economic factors, contributes to the US incarceration rate being the highest in the world, particularly for black men, who have nearly a third of the incarcerated population.’one chance in three go to prison in their lifetime.