Erasing The Stain: 15,000 Pardoned Of Marijuana Possession Convictions
Mayor Randall Woodfin on Tuesday announced the pardons of more than 15,000 Birmingham residents convicted of marijuana possession, declaring that “one small mistake should not define an entire lifetime.”
The pardons — which were announced April 20, an unofficial holiday celebrating cannabis — cover residents with closed marijuana possession cases in the Birmingham Municipal Court between 1990 and 2020.
The pardons are part of Woodfin’s Pardons for Progress program, launched in November 2019, which was meant to remove employment barriers for people who had been convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession. Those convictions can appear on background checks and, as Woodfin noted in a press release, disproportionately affect people from Black and brown communities.
Initially, Pardons for Progress required a multi-step application, though some criticized the process as too complex; as of April 13, only nine people had received pardons through the program. Tuesday’s pardon significantly broadens the program’s reach.
One-time marijuana possession charges not covered by Tuesday’s pardon — such as still-open court cases — still will be eligible for the program going forward.
Woodfin’s announcement was accompanied by a petition calling on the Alabama Legislature to pass a measure decriminalizing both medical and recreational marijuana use statewide.
“Since the state government does not permit ‘home-rule’ in Birmingham, I need you to join me in telling the State of Alabama to completely decriminalize marijuana and consider legalizing medical and recreational use like so many other states have,” Woodfin wrote in a statement. “Until then, we will do what we can as a city to pardon marijuana possession convictions processed throughout our municipal court system.”
The petition can be found on Woodfin’s campaign website.
K-pop group BTS set to reunite as two more members complete military service
BTS has been on a break since June 2022 to focus on solo projects and serve in the South Korean military. All of the group's members are scheduled to finish mandatory enlistment by the end of June.
‘Day of the Jackal’ author Frederick Forsyth dies at 86
Born in 1938, Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a journalist. He covered the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle, which inspired The Day of the Jackal.
What powers does Trump have to send troops to cities — even if they don’t want them
President Trump ordered California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell anti-immigration enforcement protests. Experts explain the laws that enable him to make this extraordinary move.
All the ways the Trump administration is going after colleges and universities
In seeking to reshape elite universities, the Trump administration is using several tactics, including freezing federal grants and contracts, and threatening colleges' tax-exempt status.
Wall Street CEOs are cycling through the five stages of tariff grief
As they process President Trump's chaotic tariffs and other economic policies, some of the country's most powerful CEOs are moving from denial and bargaining to public anger and depression.
Dozens of states sue to block the sale of 23andMe personal genetic data
States argue that biological samples, DNA data, health-related traits and medical records are too sensitive to be sold without each person's express, informed consent.