Baltimore Circuit and District judges denied Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s request to throw out thousands of marijuana possession charges on Friday, April 26.
What We Know…
- Mosby was denied because she failed to prove the “disparate impact” caused by the possession charges, one of the five requirements to drop such convictions.
- Mosby wrote in an email to reporters she was disappointed in the courts’ inability to protect citizens who were “harmed by the discriminatory enforcement of marijuana laws in the city.”
- In January Mosby announced she would no longer try marijuana cases as Baltimore State’s Attorney because marijuana laws disproportionately affect people of color and waste resources.
- Over 90 percent of citations for marijuana possession in Baltimore from 2015-2017 were issued to black people.
- Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and Philadelphia District Attorney Lary Krasner have also decided to stop trying marijuana possession cases.
Mosby said she will continue to find ways to protect the people of Baltimore and ensure a more fair justice system.