Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: How Healey’s pot pardon stacks up

Thursday, March 14, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: How Healey’s pot pardon stacks up

NOT JUST BLOWING SMOKE — Gov. Maura Healey cast the blanket pardon of simple marijuana possession convictions that she unveiled Wednesday as potentially the “most sweeping cannabis pardon ever proposed by any governor in the United States.” Is it?

Healey is asking the Governor’s Council to sign off on a plan to wipe out all past state court misdemeanor convictions for possession of marijuana. She estimates “hundreds of thousands” of people would see their convictions erased, but declined to drill down on the numbers at her State House press conference. Clearing people’s records will in most cases happen automatically, she said. But it could take months to get through them all.

Healey described her proposal as the broadest action taken by any governor to forgive past cannabis crimes since President Joe Biden in 2022 pardoned thousands of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law and urged state executives to follow suit.

But Healey is not the first governor to cancel swaths of cannabis convictions. Here’s how Healey’s push stacks up against other states:

ILLINOIS — Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said in 2022 that nearly 800,000 low-level marijuana convictions had been pardoned or expunged under the state’s Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act .

MISSOURI — Voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2022 legalizing cannabis and requiring the state to expunge misdemeanor marijuana offenses from the records of anyone no longer in prison or on probation. But the state’s Republican governor, Mike Parson, has shot down the idea of a blanket pardon .

OREGON — In 2022, then-Gov. Kate Brown moved to pardon roughly 47,000 adults who had been convicted of simple marijuana possession before the state legalized weed in 2015.

CALIFORNIA — The 2016 ballot measure that legalized recreational cannabis sales reduced most felony charges for possession, possession for sale, cultivation and unlawful transport to misdemeanors. Follow-up laws required courts to clean up cannabis-related arrest and conviction records automatically.

THE REST — Pennsylvania let people apply for an official pardon during a one-month window in 2022 . Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, has pardoned several thousand people with marijuana-possession convictions. And Rhode Island has expunged 23,000 cases and counting . And so on.

Now back to Healey. Our governor's proposal is still lacking in detail. But it appears to hew closely to what Biden put forward in 2022 and doubled down on in another wave of pardons late last year , both in practice and in message.

Just as Biden said his goal was to remove a barrier for people struggling to secure housing or jobs, Healey said much the same on Wednesday.

“A conviction may be a barrier to jobs , to getting housing, to even getting an education,” Healey, a surrogate for Biden’s reelection campaign, said at the State House. “All for doing something that isn’t even cause for arrest today. That doesn’t sit right with me.”

Gov. Maura Healey proposed a blanket pardon of simple marijuana possession convictions. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . More than half of the members of the all-Democratic Governor’s Council have publicly voiced support for Healey’s proposal, though it’s unclear when they’ll take it up after the group abruptly canceled its meeting on Wednesday. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, for one, is calling on councilors to move “swiftly.”

TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu addresses The New England Council at 10:30 a.m. at the Park Plaza Hotel and signs labor contracts at 1 p.m. at City Hall.

Tips? Scoops? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com .

Easily connect with the right N.Y. State influencers and foster the right relationships to champion your policy priorities. POLITICO Pro. Inside New York. Learn more .

DATELINE BEACON HILL

WHAT SUPP WITH THE SHELTER SUPP — Senators will vote today on a sweeping early education and child care bill that aims to expand access for families and fortify the industry’s workforce. Senate President Karen Spilka and some of her colleagues will hold a rally in support of the bill at 10:30 a.m. on the State House steps.

What’s less clear is when the Senate will take up the $260 million spending plan the House sent over last week that includes $245 million for the state’s overburdened emergency assistance program and limits on how long families can stay in the shelter system.

Spilka said her chamber will tackle the supp in “short order.” But she remained noncommittal Wednesday on whether she supports capping shelter stays.

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

ENDORSEMENT CORNER — State Sen. Marc Pacheco told Playbook he's endorsing longtime Raynham Selectman Joe Pacheco (no relation) in the race to fill his seat in the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth District. A former State House staffer, the Raynham Democrat is serving his sixth term as a selectman.

CAIN INCHES CLOSER — Quincy City Council President Ian Cain has told the MassGOP that he pulled nomination papers to run for U.S. Senate as a Republican, party Chair Amy Carnevale told Playbook. The party is “in communication” with Cain about his potential bid, she said. Cain did not respond to a request for comment.

KENNEDY-BROWN 2024? — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce his running mate later this month. Among the people he’s spoken with: former ambassador and former Sen. Scott Brown , per The Washington Post .

— “ Three Democrats will compete in the primary to succeed William 'Smitty' Pignatelli as 3rd Berkshire State House District representative,” by Clarence Fanto, The Berkshire Eagle: “The latest entrant into the 3rd Berkshire District contest is Jamie Minacci, a member of the Stockbridge Select Board elected in May 2022. She announced her candidacy at the Stockbridge Democratic Town Committee caucus last Saturday. Also competing in the Democratic primary on Sept. 3 are Leigh Davis, vice chair of the Great Barrington Select Board and Patrick White, member and a previous chairman of the Stockbridge Select Board.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Wu in talks with MBTA on city-funded commuter rail stop,” by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been in talks with the MBTA over the construction of a new Needham Line commuter rail station, funded by the city. The discussions were initially connected with a Wu administration plan to move Roxbury’s O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science to the vacant West Roxbury Education Complex. … Talks with the MBTA continued even as the O’Bryant plan fell apart.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

TIKTOK ON THE SENATE CLOCK — The U.S. House voted in rare bipartisan fashion on Wednesday to approve a bill co-sponsored by Reps. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss that would force the sale of TikTok or, if that doesn’t happen within six months, ban it in the U.S.

But the bill divided our all-Democratic congressional delegation. Reps. Lori Trahan, Stephen Lynch and Bill Keating joined Moulton and Auchincloss in voting in favor of it. But Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Reps. Richard Neal, Jim McGovern and Ayanna Pressley voted against it.

“We need comprehensive data privacy legislation — not narrow policy that targets one platform that millions rely on to get news, make a living & build community,” Pressley posted on X to explain her vote.

The president has said he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk. But it faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Sen. Ed Markey said in a post on X that the “privacy problem” goes beyond TikTok. “We don't need to ban TikTok to fix their invasive practices,” Markey wrote. “The answer,” he said, is to pass his updated Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren previously told our colleagues that legislation shouldn’t target just one social media outlet and that there should be “curbs in place on social media across the board.”

AWAITING REPLY — Markey is asking embattled Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre to testify at the field hearing he’s planning on for-profit health care companies next month in Boston, he posted on X .

— “‘We’re not playing games anymore’: Residents occupy McGovern’s Northampton office with Gaza demands,” by James Pentland, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Pushing their congressman to do more to stop the destruction of Gaza, members of the Leahy Fast for Palestine Committee and supporters occupied Rep. Jim McGovern’s local office and spoke with him by phone for half an hour Tuesday afternoon. … After spending the night at the congressman’s office, the group added a demand that the U.S. veto no more U.N. cease-fire resolutions. The U.S. has vetoed three so far.”

JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE .

DAY IN COURT

— “On zoning law, Campbell seeks legal shot across the bow,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “Supreme Court Justice Serge Georges Jr. on Wednesday kicked the tires on Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s bid to, as he put it, send a shot across the bow of more than 100 other municipalities by taking her MBTA Communities case against Milton straight to the state’s highest court. Campbell wants to skip a trial in Superior Court and go straight to the SJC in May in an effort to establish clearly that Milton and other communities in the state are subject to the law and her office has the authority to enforce compliance.”

— “Mass. to expand drug treatment courts for parents struggling with addiction,” by Chris Serres, The Boston Globe: “... Massachusetts plans to expand the concept from two courts, in Greenfield and Springfield, to at least seven more cities over the next two years. Cities that will become home to the courts include Boston, Dedham, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Pittsfield, and Worcester, the Massachusetts Trial Court announced Wednesday.”

FROM THE 413

— “Prosecutors say footage purportedly shows Wilmer Puello-Mota in Russian military,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Rhode Island prosecutors pursuing child pornography charges against former Holyoke City Councilor Wilmer Puello-Mota acknowledged this week there exist photos and videos that purportedly show him serving in the Russian military in Russia or Ukraine.”

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

— “After cease-fire votes, some city councilors wonder if they should be debating foreign policy,” by Spencer Buell, The Boston Globe: “On the one hand, councilors say they felt a moral and democratic obligation to speak out on behalf of their constituents against injustice, no matter where it’s taking place. But others wonder if it’s beyond their brief.”

— “Mistreatment persists at Bridgewater State Hospital, report says,” by Deborah Becker, WBUR: “The report, from the Disability Law Center, found patients at Bridgewater State Hospital were subjected to illegally forced medication injections, violence from staff, lack of medical care, inappropriate medication for opioid use disorder and mold contamination. The report recommends that the state transfer control of Bridgewater State Hospital from the Department of Correction to the Department of Mental Health.”

— “Mass. child care providers brace for cuts to state grants,” by Carrie Jung, WBUR.

MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND

NAME CHECK — “Romney slams Whitehouse over leadership of budget panel,” by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “Mitt Romney has had it with the way Sheldon Whitehouse is leading the Senate Budget Committee. … ‘It’s appropriate that this hearing is being held during Academy Awards season,’ Romney quipped. ‘I’m afraid what we do here is more "Barbie" than it is "Oppenheimer."'"

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Christina Grant is the new executive director of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard. Grant is currently the state superintendent of education in Washington, D.C.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, former Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford, Jackson Cote, Denise Lloyd, Kenzington “Zing” Elechko, Miles Weber and Susan Slattery .

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: THE TRUTHS ABOUT YOUTHS — Hosts Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith break down the latest data on why young people are leaving Greater Boston. CommonWealth Beacon's Gintautas Dumcius talks the tipped wages ballot battle. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .

Follow us on Twitter