Sonoma County begins clearing cannabis convictions

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office is directing staff to begin clearing nearly 3,000 cannabis-related convictions.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch revised the policy in response to Proposition 64, which California voters approved in November 2016 to legalize the adult use of marijuana and reconsiders prior marijuana convictions.

According to the district attorney’s office, there are still more than 3,000 convictions that have not yet been reduced or dismissed.

Ravitch has selected a deputy district attorney to process petitions from people who are calling for their sentences to be reduced or expunged.

The state Legislature is also reviewing Assembly Bill 1793, which could automatically expunge or reduce cannabis-related convictions. Other municipalities such as San Francisco and Alameda County have already begun working to expunge thousands of convictions for cannabis-related offenses.

The district attorney’s office is inviting people to fill out a petition if they believe someone is eligible to have cannabis-related convictions reduced or dismissed. The office can be reached at its website or at prop64@sonomacounty.org.