The National Expungement Week (N.E.W.) plans to have their fourth annual event between September 19-26. This is the same week as the Black Cannabis Week. N.E.W. aims to clear and seal certain convictions for inmates, especially those with low level cannabis offenses. N.E.W. has also partnered with Last Prisoner Project (LPP) and CannaSafe to create a better overall experience for Americans.

According to Forbes, around 40,000 prisoners remain incarcerated for minor cannabis crimes. Additionally, there are around 70 million Americans with any criminal record. These individuals remain disenfranchised from voting and experience job discretion upon release. N.E.W. and LPP look to remove these previous records to help inmates return to society smoothly and safely. 

Nonetheless, the issues cannabis convicts face is not lost on industry leaders. “Growing up in the South, I have experienced and navigated the racial stigmas created by the war on drugs,” said Antonio Frazier. He is the president of CannaSafe. “Now I get to legally operate in an industry that was used to destroy and target communities for generations,” His reference is to the contradiction between continuing cannabis imprisonments against a backdrop of increasing cannabis legality.

Upcoming Events

The N.E.W. will take place all week across the country in-person as well as online. First, CannaSafe is supporting the N.E.W. week by sponsoring an expungement event at the N.E.W.’s Los Angeles Headquarters. Additionally, the organization Food Forward plans on distributing six tons, or 12,000 pounds of food to those struggling with low level convictions. 

In Chicago, several locations will offer resource fairs to help with expungement of records and finding jobs for those who are awaiting expungement or who have criminal records. East St. Louis in Illinois will be hosting online education forums also on expungement records and how to go about it. 

Back in Los Angeles, in addition to the N.E.W.’s expungement clinic, there will be six other locations offering legal advice for records. New York City is currently registering individuals for a webinar titled “The Uncomfortable Truth About the War on Black and Brown Humans.”

Next Steps

There is the potential for clemency from President Biden for those imprisoned. However, N.E.W. looks to offer help to those who need it most, the ones released but disenfranchised. Check out their official website for more information about events in your city and ways you can help out.

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