Thousands of CT residents with cannabis convictions set to have records clear

Thousands of Connecticut residents convicted of cannabis possession will have their records cleared at the start of next year. Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday that records in about 44,000 cases will be fully or partially erased in January as part of the state's 2021 law legalizing cannabis possession and retail sales. “Especially as Connecticut employers seek to fill hundreds of thousands of job openings, an old conviction for low-level cannabis possession should not hold someone back from pursuing their career, housing, professional, and educational aspirations,” Lamont said in a written statement Tuesday. Once a resident’s record is erased, they can tell employers, landlords and schools that the conviction never occurred. People convicted of possessing less than 4 ounces of a non-narcotic, non-hallucinogenic substance between Jan. 1, 2000, and Sept. 30, 2015, will automatically have their records cleared on Jan. 1. Others will have to petition the state Superior Court to have their convictions erased. That includes people: Convicted of possession of less than or equal to 4 ounces of a cannabis-type substance imposed before Jan. 1, 2000, and between Oct. 1, 2015, and June 30, 2021. Convicted of possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia for cannabis before July 1, 2021. Convicted of violations before July 1, 2021, for manufacturing, selling, possessing with intent to sell, or giving or administering to another person a cannabis-type substance, if the amount involved was under 4 ounces or six plants grown inside a person’s home for personal use. The erasure of certain low-level cannabis convictions is part of a larger effort by the state to clear the records of people who remain crime-free for seven to 10 years, depending on the conviction. Under Connecticut's Clean Slate Law, passed in 2021, the person must also have completed sentences for all crimes for which they were convicted and meet other eligibility criteria. Eligible offenses include most misdemeanors, most Class D and Class E felonies, and most unclassified felonies with a possible prison sentence of five years or less. Facing delays While the process is moving ahead, it is not without some delays. The state has invested $5 million in technology infrastructure to make the records cleared digitally. The Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board, however, said the process has been moving slower than initially expected. There are also expected to be questions over some technicalities and some of the technology upgrades are meant to allow criminal justice agencies to send and receive data on whose offenses can be erased. There are also some legal questions and concerns that have arisen and that could require some action from the legislature, the governor said in a statement. The automated system is expected to be fully implemented in the second half of 2023.

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