The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice recently recognized that cannabis policy reform is crucial to fostering equality in our criminal justice system. It called on the state to reduce the penalty for possession of up to an ounce and a half of cannabis to a civil, not criminal, fine. And it called on the state to expunge past convictions. Will you work to make these recommendations law? Criminal convictions shut the door on opportunity. The American Bar Association’s National Inventory of Collateral Consequences shows 221 legal consequences of a misdemeanor conviction in North Carolina. In addition, private employers, landlords, and educational institutions often exclude those with convictions. In the context of marijuana, these collateral consequences are not just arbitrary, they are racist in their impact. Government data analyzed by the ACLU shows that Black individuals are 3.3 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession in North Carolina, despite nearly identical use rates. Polling shows more than 60% of North Carolinians want adult-use cannabis to be completely legal. At a minimum, cannabis possession should not be grounds for a scarlet letter.