Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes filed a motion Friday asking the Seattle Municipal Court to vacate all convictions and dismiss all charges for misdemeanor marijuana possession that were prosecuted in a period before pot was legalized statewide.
In a statement, Holmes called the motion ?one small step to right the injustices of a drug war that has primarily targeted people of color.?
?As we see marijuana sold in retail storefronts today, people who simply had a joint in their pocket a decade ago still have a red mark on their records,? he said.
The motion argues the court should act because possessing a small amount of marijuana is no longer illegal in Washington. It states that such action would ?promote the interests of fairness and judgment.?
?A drug conviction, even for the misdemeanor offense of possession of marijuana, can have significant negative collateral consequences affecting a person?s employment opportunities, education options, qualification for government benefits and programs, travel and immigration status,? Holmes wrote.
?African Americans are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than Caucasians, even though both groups consume marijuana at similar rates,? the city attorney wrote.
?The perception among many persons that enforcement of drug laws discriminates against African Americans has profound adverse effects on their cooperation with law enforcement, respect for the law and participation in the court system.?
Holmes has said he believes the move would wipe away 500 to 600 convictions from the late 1990s, when Seattle took over misdemeanor marijuana cases from King County, until 2010, when he stopped such prosecutions as a matter of policy.
The city attorney and Mayor Jenny Durkan announced their intention to have the convictions vacated at a news conference at Rainier Community Center in February, with Durkan describing the action as one way to help right the wrongs of what she called a failed ?war on drugs.?
The mayor, a former U.S. attorney, said small-time pot convictions have unfairly prevented people from obtaining housing, credit, jobs and degrees.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-asks-court-to-dismiss-marijuana-convictions-from-before-legalization/
