By Benjie Cooper
IG: @nuglifenews
YouTube: Lucid’s Vlog
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday that his Liberal government will consider pardoning people convicted of cannabis crimes in the past once cannabis legalization commences on October 17.
“As we have said, we’ll look at that once the law has been changed,” Trudeau told reporters. “So from October 17, we will start looking at the best way to do it.”
Trudeau offered no further details as to whether pardons would be all-encompassing or considered on an individual basis.
On October 3, the National Democratic Party announced that it would be introducing a bill to pardon everyone convicted of non-violent cannabis offenses in the past.
Cannabis Amnesty estimates that there are more than 500,000 Canadians with possession violations on their record which, under current laws, cannot be cleared until the offender pays a $631 (Canadian) application fee and five years have passed.
According to Vice, cannabis arrests in indigenous and black communities throughout Canada occur at a disproportionate rate compared to whites.
With marijuana convictions on their records, Canadian citizens face difficulties in finding employment, renting an apartment, enrolling in university programs, volunteering in their community, and traveling to the United States.
