State-funded program helps people expunge marijuana convictions

(The Center Square) – Using a $1.6 million appropriation from the state, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation recently created New Leaf Illinois, an initiative to help individuals get criminal records related to marijuana expunged.

By applying on New Leaf Illinois’ website, individuals can be connected with legal aid from 20 non-profit organizations to help them through the process.

More than 700,000 people could be eligible for cannabis expungement, Gray Mateo-Harris, partner at Fox Rothschild law firm and board member for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, said.

“A lot of those individuals will not be able to figure out independently whether their convictions are eligible for automatic expungement or whether they have to take additional steps,” Mateo-Harris told the Illinois Radio Network. “It is really a complicated legal program, and it truly does require some individualized analysis.”

More than 100,000 people have been qualified for automatic expungement, Mateo-Harris said. Another more complicated method involves filing with the court.

“Generally, we’re talking about a minor cannabis offense, and so that has to do again with possession and manufacture/delivery convictions that are not more than 30 grand,” Mateo-Harris said.

Not all cannabis convictions are eligible, and there are mitigating circumstances that could affect automatic expungement, such as association with a violent crime.

“So again, the easiest thing to do is going to be to go to newleafillinois.org and really let the experts go through the process of identifying if your convictions are actually covered and whether you will need to file a petition,” Mateo-Harris said.

State funding for the initiative is sourced from legal cannabis sales tax revenues. Mateo-Harris said the foundation expects expungement will mostly be a free process for those who qualify.

The initiative started from the state’s desire to rectify the effects on those impacted by the criminalization of marijuana now that cannabis is legal. Black, brown and underprivileged communities have been hit hardest, and the initiative is part of social justice reform, Mateo-Harris said.

“Really, even though cannabis has been legal, these people are still carrying the weight of a conviction that could make it harder for them to get a job, rent an apartment, advance their education, and so that really is what brought this about,” she said.

New Leaf Illinois can also connect individuals with other social justice initiatives to help them beyond the expungement process.

To register, go to newleafillinois.org.

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