Restorative justice has always been one of the main facets of marijuana reform. This includes expungement for people with past convictions for non-violent cannabis crimes. As psychedelic policy shifts, advocates believe the same rules should apply, and Colorado is leading the charge.
Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado has announced a round of pardons for Colorado residents with state-level psilocybin convictions.
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In 2022, Colorado passed Proposition 122, which decriminalized the personal use of psychedelics like DMT and psilocybin—more commonly known as magic mushrooms. A new bill, signed on June 3, builds on it, granting the governor permission to pardon Coloradans previously convicted of possessing psilocybin or psilocin.
Polis, using the power given to him by the bill, signed an Executive Order on Wednesday calling for the full and unconditional pardons of the aforementioned Colorado residents. According to the order, individuals with these convictions weren’t required to apply for a pardon. However, anyone who believes they weren’t granted clemency despite deserving it can petition for a pardon, provided they can demonstrate that the offense wouldn’t be considered a crime now.
The governor made clear that this order does not apply to those convicted at the local level and urged Colorado residents to contact their mayors and city representatives to implement similar clemency initiatives. Most Colorado residents with psychedelic convictions were prosecuted at the local level, so this advocacy will be crucial in getting the vast majority pardoned.
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In a press release, Polis said, “Colorado has been a national leader in breaking through outdated laws around cannabis, and now we are doing the same for natural medicine.” In 2020 and 2021, Gov. Polis issued similar pardons for more than 2,700 Coloradans with cannabis possession convictions.
“Granting these pardons is an important step forward, of course, for the individuals who will now have this cleared from their record but also to really acknowledge the error in public policy that led to to their conviction, creating a more just system to break down barriers and help them move on with their lives,” Polis said at the Psychedelic Science conference in Denver, where he announced this bill.
Studies on psilocybin have led many scientists to believe that the plant has the potential to provide relief for disorders like anxiety and addiction. As more people continue to explore the complicated world of psychedelics, bills like these ensure that those who were ahead of the curve are not left behind.