The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that people busted for possessing small amounts of marijuana can get their convictions erased because the state decriminalized the misdemeanor in 2011.
The court issued a 7-0 ruling Monday in favor of former Manchester and Bolton resident Nicholas Menditto, after the state Appellate Court ruled his two marijuana possession convictions in 2009 couldn't be erased.
Gov. Dannel Malloy and the legislature in 2011 changed possession of less than a half ounce of pot from a misdemeanor with potential jail time to a violation with a $150 fine for a first offense and fines of $200 to $500 for subsequent offenses.
The Appellate Court and prosecutors said decriminalized means legalized and the state didn't legalize possession of small amounts of pot.
Some Past Pot Convictions in Connecticut Can Be Erased: Court
Copyright AP - Associated Press
