Following President Biden’s recent pardon of thousands of people convicted of the same violation under federal law, Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and his attorney general are urging the GOP-led state legislature to decriminalize minor amounts of marijuana possession.
“A mere possession conviction may damage people’s records for life and possibly prohibit them from getting a job,” Cooper said at a task group meeting on racial fairness and criminal justice on Friday. “The General Assembly did not act on your recommendations during the most recent session, but I feel they should have. North Carolina should take action to eliminate this stigma.”
The governor formed the task team in June 2020, in the midst of widespread riots in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.
