Birmingham mayor pardons past marijuana convictions for 15,000 people

Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Randall Woodfin (D) announced Tuesday that he will issue pardons for 15,000 people who have minor marijuana convictions on their record.

Woodfin announced the blanket pardon on April 20, or 4/20, a date celebrated by cannabis advocates. The pardons will apply to charges for thousands in municipal court who were convicted between 1990 and 2020.

The mayor also posted a tweet urging the state of Alabama to do the same and shared a petition on his campaign website as well.

“These pardons are a strong start, but our work is far from done,” Woodfin tweeted. “Join me in telling the State of Alabama to completely decriminalize marijuana.”

Today, I issued a pardon of 15,000 people convicted of marijuana possession in Birmingham between 1990-2020. These pardons are a strong start, but our work is far from done.

Join me in telling the State of Alabama to completely decriminalize marijuana. https://t.co/qAFvbjJour

— Randall Woodfin (@randallwoodfin) April 20, 2021

The city of Birmingham introduced the Pardons for Progress program in 2019 to make it easier for people with minor marijuana charges to get pardoned and have their charges sealed, Al.com reported. The program is designed to help people get jobs more easily.

Possession of marijuana remains illegal in Alabama. State lawmakers are considering a medical marijuana bill, though past legalization efforts have failed.