BUFFALO, N.Y. — Representatives from the Erie County District Attorney's Office, Legal Aid, Erie County Bar Association, and The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo gathered at Elim Christian Fellowship on Thursday to host the first of two informational cannabis expungement clinics.
In line with the County Legislature's landmark legislation to legalize the possession and adult use of marijuana, steps are being taken to quickly expunge years of injustice experienced by those who have been impacted by a criminal record related to a marijuana-related offense.
During the clinic, legal experts spent between 45 minutes to an hour walking people through the quick process.
Richard Green has a marijuana-related charge on his record and showed up to Elim on Thursday because he says he's ready for a new chapter in his life and is tired of carrying around the burdens of his twenties.
"It's good that they help us out you know. Some people need help to get farther in life, and sometimes you shouldn't be judged on your past always," Green says. "It happened when I was like 27 years old, and it stopped me from getting jobs at times, or even with school. I wanted to be a nurse for a minute but couldn't do that because I have a drug charge."
Under state law, only certain marijuana-related offenses will be automatically expunged, requiring no further court action.
Others, like Richard Green's, will still be eligible for expungement, charge reduction and/or sentence reduction, require a motion to be filed with the court.
Either way legal experts, including Kevin Stadelmaier, First Deputy Defendant with the Criminal Division of the Erie County Bar Association's Assigned Legal Counsel Program, told 2 On Your Side, "If they qualify for our services we're going to take care of this at no cost to them whatsoever. Those people who don't have automatic expungement, and we need to make those applications, those motions, please give us a call we'll walk them through the process, we'll try to make it comfortable."