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In June, Governor Wes Moore made international news when he signed 175,000 pardons for cannabis possession and cannabis paraphernalia convictions. This was the largest executive order of its kind in our nation’s history and applies to cannabis convictions that are no longer considered a crime.
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service welcomed the news of Governor Moore’s executive order, which will help reduce barriers for people living in poverty or people of color, many of whom have been disproportionately affected by cannabis laws in the past.
However, pardons do not expunge the case from an individual’s record. While the individual is absolved of guilt for a crime, they still may face challenges obtaining employment or housing with the convictions still showing up on their record. As a result, MVLS has made sure to update community materials to explain what the pardon means and why expungement is still necessary.
“Having a criminal record hinders a person’s ability to secure employment, it creates challenges in finding housing that impacts many families and depending on the conviction it can eliminate an individual’s chance to apply for federal student aid. Every day that I can share with our community members (and other organizations) about MVLS and the wonderful services we offer makes my day more meaningful. It creates heartfelt moments for me because we are an organization that stands on our value and mission.”
Shyia Clark, Workforce Project Coordinator.
Over the last year, the Cannabis Outreach Project participated in 100 events, where they connected with several thousand individuals.
MVLS created a variety of educational materials, provided training for individuals and volunteers, and distributed more than 30,000 flyers on how to get help. While much of our outreach focused on central Maryland, we also targeted Southern Maryland where we partnered with programs like Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland, Southern Maryland JobSource, and Anne Arundel County Foodbank.
MVLS also targeted incarcerated individuals who were preparing for re-entry, recognizing that individuals who can’t find employment or housing because of their record are more likely to struggle and end up back in detention. We partnered with re-entry focused nonprofits across Maryland, including TYRO at Bon Secours Community Works in Baltimore, the Turnaround Thursday program of the Community Action Agency of Anne Arundel County, and Gatekeepers in Hagerstown. We also built partnerships with Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services staff and with residential reentry nonprofits like The Jude House. As a result, we were able to share information about expungement with hundreds of incarcerated Marylanders. Over the past year, the MVLS cannabis team assisted 61 incarcerated clients with preparing 261 expungement petitions.
In one case, we filed expungement petitions for an incarcerated client and the state incorrectly rejected one of the petitions. Because they are being assisted through MVLS, the client was able to request a hearing and will have representation, something that simply would not have occurred without MVLS’ advocacy. This work provided MVLS with an opportunity to demonstrate how our services are helpful within the reentry space. In addition to the need for expungement, consumer, tax controversies, family law, and housing issues are all items that many returning citizens face, and we were able to share details about MVLS’ services.
When asked about their work on our Cannabis Project, our colleagues shared:
“It has been meaningful to observe someone’s hopefulness when they learn they may qualify for free legal services or discover that most of one’s criminal record can be cleared. It has also been inspiring to observe the work of other advocates in the reentry field, both at MVLS, and within many organizations across Maryland.”
“The most surprising thing from taking on the cannabis project is how many people have benefited from expungement services simply by searching out cannabis-specific expungement. Many applicants have been given the opportunity to expunge more than cannabis charges from their record, ideally opening up more housing and employment opportunities, especially for those previously incarcerated or having recently reentered society.”
Because of the commitment of our Cannabis Project team, the entire Workforce Project, and our committed volunteers, MVLS was able to assist 284 clients with criminal record relief over the last year.
At a recent expungement presentation, one of the participants was so interested that he requested we send him Maryland’s expungement statutes, as he is planning to go to law school and wanted to learn more about expungement law in Maryland. We look forward to helping him and others remove their employment barriers so they can follow their own chosen workforce path.
Interested in volunteering? Visit our Pro Bono Portal to take a case today.
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