The war on drugs is detrimental to society, and it’s time to repair the damages. Recreational marijuana sales rake in millions of dollars each year, and California officials are granting a whopping $35.5 million of accumulated marijuana tax revenue to fund 78 organizations throughout the state.
A joint statement from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion has announced that the nationwide credit reporting agencies will remove almost 70% of medical collection debt from credit reports. This measure comes as an effort to support people who have been burdened with medical bills, something many deal with as our healthcare system continues to fail Americans.
Everyone deserves a second chance, especially surrounding education in a country with college-oriented qualifications. New Jersey lawkmakers demonstrate a refreshing understanding of this reality with a proposed Ban The Box law that would expand protection to students applying to college—a necessary step to ensure that people with a criminal record are given a fair shot at the life they deserve.
Harker Heights has now become the fifth city in Texas to add a cannabis reform option to the midterm election ballot, which will be taking place this November. The Harker Heights Initiative, with the goal to decriminalize marajuana possession in Harker Heights, comes from larger efforts of the activist group Ground Game Texas.
Illinois has recently signed approval for House Bill 4392, which will now allow positive cannabis tests for those applying for an expunction of criminal charges. The previous law required that individuals seeking an expunction or seal of felony drug convictions to test negative of cannabis usage.
After the House and Senate committees of Rhode Island approved legislation legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, the governor signed the bill into law. Fortunately, the bill will ultimately benefit tens of thousands of people with past marijuana convictions.
Florida’s Governor DeSantis approved HB 195, a bill that allows juveniles to have felony charges expunged from their records, a year after vetoing the measure. The most recent session’s version broadens the access minors have to expunging lesser felonies and misdemeanors from their records.
House Bill 3316 has been approved by Gov. Kevin Stitt, making Oklahoma the sixth state to adopt an automatic expunction system. The bill, authored by Rep. Nicole Miller, follows an interim study issued to look into problems with expunction in Oklahoma. When Miller found that the system needed to be reformed, she was approached by many to author a bill on the legislation.
The Tampa City Council is working towards helping individuals who have served time in prison return to the workforce and re-enter society. Their multi-pronged approach includes the “Ban The Box” effort which aims to remove the question of an individual’s criminal history from job applications.