NJ Judiciary Moving to Expunge 88,000 Marijuana Cases

Posted on: July 14, 2021

With the state marijuana decriminalization law now in effect, New Jersey’s judiciary has moved to expunge 88,000 cases of marijuana and hashish convictions and pending cases for small amounts of the drugs.
First signed into law in February, three bills in the state made recreational marijuana use legal for Garden State’s residents over 21 this year.
One of the bills, which went into effect on July 1, targets possession of small amounts of marijuana and hashish, amounts that are small enough to be considered personal use. This new law decriminalizes possession of small amounts of the substances, (although they are still defined as controlled dangerous substances in state law), as they are decriminalized for non-distribution amounts.
The 88,000 expunged cases are the first of about 360,000 identified by the Judiciary as eligible for expungement.
Violations of probation and pre-trial monitoring charges associated with these cases will be vacated as well. Driver’s license suspensions or revocations will also be rescinded.
Our New Jersey criminal defense lawyers are well versed in marijuana possession cases and will find the best defense for your case. If you are seeking to fight any charges involving marijuana, contact the legal team at Ellis Law. Call us today at 866-672-8816 or reach us online.