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ADVOCATES, CITY OFFICIALS TO ANNOUNCE PROGRESS ON EFFORTS TO EXPUNGE THOUSANDS OF MARIJUANA-RELATED RECORDS IN TUCSON

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TUCSON, AZ – On Thursday, April 18, Vice Mayor Kevin Dahl will join the Tucson City Prosecutor’s Office and the Reclaim Your Future campaign at El Presidio Plaza to announce the exciting progress made to expunge thousands of marijuana-related records in Tucson in a joint news conference ahead of the annual 420 international cannabis holiday.

In January, the Tucson City Prosecutor’s Office and Reclaim Your Future coalition partners–including Southern Arizona Legal Aid and the University of Arizona’s Civil Rights Restoration Clinic–began working together with Tucson City Court to identify misdemeanor marijuana possession cases eligible for expungement.

Prop 207, which legalized adult recreational use of marijuana in Arizona when it was passed in 2020, also created a pathway to expungement but left the burden of filing for expungement to those who had been convicted, arrested or charged with marijuana-related offenses. Noting the disparities in access to expungement services, Vice Mayor Dahl prompted the City of Tucson to explore options for proactive expungement.

Thus, Reclaim Your Future has worked with the Tucson City Prosecutor’s Office and Tucson City Court to identify approximately 17,000 marijuana possession cases eligible for expungement and has since helped draft petitions with the court to expunge those records–the numbers of which will be updated and shared at Thursday’s event.

Press are invited to the news conference, which will include a Q&A with Vice Mayor Dahl, the Tucson City Prosecutor’s Office and the Reclaim Your Future coalition.

WHO:

  • Vice Mayor Kevin Dahl, City of Tucson
  • Matt Walker, Tucson City Prosecutor’s Office
  • Martin Hutchins, Reclaim Your Future Program Manager
  • Dev Arredondo, Southern Arizona Legal Aid
  • Mia Burcham, University of Arizona’s Civil Rights Restoration Clinic

WHEN:

April 18, 2024
10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

WHERE:

El Presidio Plaza
165 W. Alameda St.
Tucson, AZ 85701

LOGISTICS:

Cameras are advised to pre-set by 9:45 a.m.

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The Reclaim Your Future campaign is organized by the Arizona Justice Project and is funded by the Arizona Department of Health Services to help people expunge their marijuana-related offense records. The campaign includes legal services and advocacy organizations from across Arizona, including Just Communities Arizona, Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Community Legal Services, DNA-People’s Legal Services, University of Arizona’s Civil Rights Restoration Clinic, and Arizona State University’s Post-Conviction Clinic.

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STATE-FUNDED CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES TWO YEARS OF FREE MARIJUANA EXPUNGEMENT

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA–JULY 12, 2023–Today marks the second anniversary of marijuana expungement in Arizona, thanks to the 2020 passage of Proposition 207. And the Reclaim Your Future campaign is commemorating the day by reminding people who have a marijuana-related conviction or arrest history that EXPUNGEMENT IS FREE!

“Considering that the State of Arizona received total tax revenue of nearly $256 million in 2022, legal fees to exercise one’s expungement rights and undo a conviction for an offense that no longer exists should be considered obsolete,” said Martin Hutchins, an attorney and program manager for the Reclaim Your Future campaign.

Though voters overwhelmingly legalized adult recreational use of marijuana in Arizona, as well as a pathway to expungement, Prop 207 did not automatically clear past convictions related to marijuana offenses. The costs to someone seeking expungement through a private attorney average between $1,500 and $4,000 per case. To help individuals move forward in life without a conviction or arrest history, free marijuana expungement services are available as an accessible and practical solution, making it advantageous to seek services provided by organizations like the Reclaim Your Future campaign, the only state-funded expungement effort in Arizona.

“We understand that people who have been caught up in the criminal punishment system have a well-earned skepticism about programs and services associated with the state or with government,” said Caroline Isaacs, executive director of Just Communities Arizona, a coalition member of the Reclaim Your Future campaign. “But it’s important to remember that expungement was approved and is actually funded by the voters of Arizona.”

Other advantages of choosing free expungement legal services, like the Reclaim Your Future program, as opposed to those offered by private attorneys outside our coalition, include:

  • A simplified process
  • Inclusivity and accessibility
  • Community support and resources
  • Efficiency and timeliness

People with a marijuana conviction or arrest on their record can find out for free if they are eligible for expungement by taking the Reclaim Your Future expungement eligibility test here.

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The Reclaim Your Future campaign is organized by the Arizona Marijuana Expungement Coalition and is funded by the Arizona Department of Health Services to help people expunge their marijuana-related conviction histories. Our Coalition is composed of community legal services and advocacy organizations from across Arizona.

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