Ohio Might Annul Citizens’ Marijuana Arrest Records

The pro-marijuana group, ResponsibleOhio, is trying to get a measure onto the ballot that will expunge records of criminal convictions for previous marijuana offenses that would no longer be illegal.

The measure is known as The Fresh Start Act and needs about 92,000 valid signatures to force Ohio lawmakers to either act or let voters decide on the initiative in the November 2016 general election. The group says it has collected over 235,000 signatures of registered Ohio voters.

“Our communities have been devastated, as you would expect when you remove millions of young men of color and export them from inner cities to prisons,” Rev. D.L. Perryman. “You have an effect on the children and the women who are left behind, on their schooling, their mental health, and their behavior… this Fresh Start is the first step in rebuilding that community.”

Early this year, ResponsibleOhio successfully managed to get an Ohio medical and recreational marijuana legalization measure onto the November ballot.