Marin County, California Drops or Reduces 604 Cannabis Charges

The Marin County, California District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday dropped or reduced 604 cannabis charges in the county prior to 2017 as allowed under the state’s cannabis legalization law. The District Attorney’s Office worked with Code for America on identifying eligible cases.

Marin County DA Lori Frugoli said that her office “and community partners want to ensure that those who have an eligible conviction are aware that their case may have been reduced or dismissed.”

“The effect of a conviction on a person’s record can have a multitude of negative effects, including lost job and housing opportunities.” — Frugoli in a press release

The county’s process began in April 2019 when Frugoli’s office requested conviction data from the California State Department of Justice and a month later began discussions with Code for America. The conviction data was received from the state a month later, and Marin County DA staff separately reviewed its own data to ensure no cases were overlooked. It was determined that some people had more than one case, and some cases had multiple cannabis charges, the DA’s office said in the release. Ultimately, it was determined that 604 people involved in 514 cases were eligible for reduction or dismissal based on Prop 64.

Code for America has previously worked to identify cannabis charges eligible for reduction or dismissal in California, including in San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and San Diego counties.