New law to erase eligible marijuana convictions in Michigan

Some Michigan residents who have been convicted of a misdemeanor marijuana offense are now eligible to have that conviction set aside.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of bills into law on Monday expanding eligibility requirements for criminal record expungement -- including for those with misdemeanor marijuana convictions.

Marijuana offenses are eligible for expungement if they would not be considered illegal if committed after December 6, 2018, when recreational marijuana use became legal for adults in the state of Michigan.

In 2018, Michigan voted to legalize recreational marijuana by an 11-point margin. 50 of Michigan’s 83 counties voted in favor of the proposal. Legal recreational marijuana officially went on sale in Michigan in December of 2019.

Michigan House Bill 4982 was first introduced in 2019 and was signed into law by Gov. Whitmer on Monday alongside a number of House bills designed to automate the criminal record expungement process and expand eligibility criteria. Click here to read the entire bill.

More: New ‘Clean Slate’ laws to automate criminal record expungement process, expand eligibility criteria in Michigan