MINNEAPOLIS – – In partnership with the Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s Reentry Clinic, the event will help Minnesotans who want to clear their records of simple, non-violent cannabis charges
Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc. , a physician-led, science-focused cannabis company and IP incubator, today announced that it is hosting a free cannabis expungement clinic on Saturday, September 11 at its Green Goods® cannabis patient center in Minneapolis. The event will be the first cannabis expungement clinic to be held in Minnesota.
Green Goods Minneapolis will host the cannabis expungement clinic with the support of attorneys, law professors and law students from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and other local attorneys providing pro bono work. The clinic is a free event designed to help Minnesotans with simple, non-violent cannabis convictions learn how to clear their criminal records.
The event aims to reduce the harm caused by the ineffective and often racially biased “War on Drugs” and help more Minnesotans, but especially people of color, qualify for meaningful employment within the cannabis industry or other industries. In Minnesota alone, more than 53,000 citizens were convicted of low-level (misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor) cannabis-related charges in just the 20-year-span from 1998 to 2018. Petty misdemeanor and misdemeanor cannabis convictions can still show up on a criminal background check and negatively affect a person’s ability to get a job, qualify for a loan, or even rent a home.
“For decades, cannabis prohibition has been enforced unequally among people of different races and socioeconomic classes,” said Dr. Kyle Kingsley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goodness Growth Holdings. “As cannabis is legalized in more and more states across the nation, there are far too many people whose lives are still being impacted by something that is decriminalized in most states, including Minnesota. Hosting expungement clinics such as this to help people clear simple cannabis charges is an important priority for our organization and a major step toward overcoming the injustices of cannabis prohibition.”
Minnesota’s laws allow for the expungement and vacating of some non-violent, simple cannabis convictions through a multi-step process. At the Green Goods® expungement event, attorneys will be available to meet with interested people, review their specific cases and determine if they are a candidate for expungement within Minnesota law. If they are, attorneys will provide step-by-step instructions and assistance gathering necessary records and filing paperwork needed to start the expungement process.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT at the Minneapolis Green Goods® cannabis patient center, located at 207 South 9th Street. All expungement clinic participants must bring their case information and court records with them on the day of the event.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks and social distancing will be required, and all attendees will have their temperature checked upon arrival. To help maintain social distancing, all attendees will need to register in advance by visiting https://us.bookingbug.com/home/131082-Minnesota-Medical-Solutions.
The Minneapolis expungement event is one of four similar clinics that Goodness Growth Holdings is hosting or supporting in September to recognize expungement month. The Company is also hosting a virtual clinic out of its Green Goods® dispensary in Frederick, Maryland, and is supporting clinics in Capitol Heights, Maryland, and New York City.
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About Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc. Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc., is a physician-led, science-focused holding company whose mission is to bring the power of plants to the world. The Company's operations consist primarily of its multi-state cannabis company subsidiary, Vireo Health, Inc., and its science and intellectual property incubator, Resurgent Biosciences, Inc. The Company manufactures proprietary, branded cannabis products in environmentally friendly facilities and state-of-the-art cultivation sites and distributes its products through its growing network of Green Goods® and other retail locations and third-party dispensaries. Its team of more than 500 employees is focused on the development of differentiated products, driving scientific innovation of plant-based medicines, and developing meaningful intellectual property. Today, the Company is licensed to grow, process, and/or distribute cannabis in eight markets and operates 18 dispensaries across the United States.
