Thousands of CT residents with low-level cannabis convictions will have records cleared

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) – Thousands of Connecticut residents with low-level cannabis convictions will have their records cleared, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.

Lamont announced Tuesday the records will be cleared on January 1.

The governor’s office said records in about 44,000 cases will be fully or partially cleared.

“On January 1, thousands of people in Connecticut will have low-level cannabis convictions automatically erased due to the cannabis legalization bill we enacted last year,” Lamont said. “Especially as Connecticut employers seek to fill hundreds of thousands of job openings, an old conviction for low-level cannabis possession should not hold someone back from pursuing their career, housing, professional, and educational aspirations.”

Lamont’s office said residents will be cleared based on when they were convicted:

• Convictions for violations of C.G.S. § 21a-279(c) for possession of under four ounces of a non-narcotic, non-hallucinogenic substance imposed between January 1, 2000, and September 30, 2015, will be automatically erased on January 1, 2023. People included under this provision of the law need not do anything to make these convictions eligible for erasure.
• Convictions for the following violations can be erased if one files a petition in Superior Court: - Convictions for violations of C.G.S. § 21a-279 for possession of less than or equal to four ounces of a cannabis-type substance imposed before January 1, 2000, and between October 1, 2015, and June 30, 2021. - Convictions for violations of C.G.S. § 21a-267(a) for possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia for cannabis imposed before July 1, 2021. - Convictions for violations of C.G.S. § 21a-277(b) imposed before July 1, 2021, for manufacturing, selling, possessing with intent to sell, or giving or administering to another person a cannabis-type substance and the amount involved was under four ounces or six plants grown inside a person’s home for personal use.

“Residents who have had their records erased may tell employers, landlords, and schools that the conviction never occurred,” officials said.

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