Today Governor Healey announced her plan to pardon all marijuana convictions in the Baystate. According to the Governor’s website,
If approved [by the governor’s council], Governor Healey’s pardon will apply to all eligible convictions, and most people will not need to take any action to have their criminal records updated. It would apply to all adult Massachusetts state court misdemeanor convictions before March 13, 2024 for possession of marijuana (sometimes referred to as possession of a “Class D substance”).
The governor’s power to pardon crimes is found in Article LXXIII of the state constitution as well as M.G.L. c. 127, Section 152. the governor’s pardon must be made “by and with the advice of [governor’s] council.”