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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Gov. Maura Healey is expected to pardon people in Massachusetts convicted of simple possession of marijuana later this week, following in the footsteps of President Joe Biden’s federal policies.
Massachusetts voters decided to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016.
When she was running for Massachusetts governor in 2022, Healey said that should would follow President Biden’s lead to pardon people convicted of simple possession of marijuana in a statement to the Boston Globe. President Biden had also explicitly called on governors to issue similar pardons.
Healey is set to make the announcement on Wednesday, although it is not yet clear how far-reaching the pardons would be.
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WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas asked people in Boston how they felt about the potential marijuana pardons.
Many people were in favor. “Yeah I definitely think it’s a good idea. Expunge that from your record,” said one person.
Another person agreed, with some caveats. “I’m sure there were some circumstances where something else was involved, but I’d say if it’s just marijuana, yeah.”
For this person, the pardons are okay as long as there is a specific cap to the amount a person can legally possess. “A moderate amount of marijuana is fine. I think it’s clogging up the courts. But they should put an amount on it.”
Another person said, “I think it’s awesome. I think they legalized it in the state so it should be acceptable.”
But some people disagreed with pardoning these past crimes. “If they had it before it was legal, they are guilty because they did it even knowing that it was banned or not legalized. So they are somewhat guilty in that way.”
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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