Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman issued the following statement on pardons for cannabis convictions issued today by Governor Wes Moore: “I applaud Governor Moore’s executive order to pardon Marylanders previously convicted of misdemeanor possession of marijuana and paraphernalia. Like the Governor and Attorney General, I know and have seen the significant hardships these convictions impose on individuals and communities. As an attorney, I regularly represented pro bono clients in expungement matters and saw the toll that the conviction placed on them and their ability to access basic needs, like housing and jobs.

“The Governor’s action demonstrates a keen understanding not only of the moral imperative in righting decades of wrong-headed policies but also the economic imperative. Low-level convictions too often result in a lifetime of negative consequences. As our agency’s State of the Economy report explained, we must do all we can to bring more people into the workforce. I know that the Marylanders now freed from the burden of a past conviction will be able to compete for and secure better jobs and more stable housing that will allow them to contribute more to their families, communities, and our state economy.”