More than 362K marijuana offenses now expunged under new NJ law
The New Jersey Judiciary appears to have reached its goal of expunging 360,000 cases involving possession, distribution, or being under the influence of marijuana under a law that took effect at the beginning of July.
In a release, New Jersey Courts said cases eligible under the Marijuana Decriminalization Law are expunged automatically, wiping them from the courts' public record and absolving past offenders from having to report their charges on job, housing, or college applications.
NJ Courts previously reported about a quarter of the eligible cases had been able to be expunged within the new law's first two weeks.
As of Thursday, the Judiciary has now expunged more than 362,000 cases, according to the release. More than 1,200 people have been released from probation.
An awareness campaign, to be launched Monday, aims to make light of the opportunities provided by the Marijuana Decriminalization Law, including expungement certifications.
The Judiciary said more than 2,800 of those have been issued so far, either by local courts or the Superior Court Clerk's Office in Trenton.
More information is available at njcourts.gov/marijuana.
Patrick Lavery is New Jersey 101.5's afternoon news anchor. Follow him on Twitter @plavery1015 or email patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com.