With Polis’ historic pardons for marijuana convictions, how many does this affect in Southern Colorado?

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Executive Order grants pardons to those who have been convicted of possessing one ounce or less of marijuana.

“We are finally cleaning up some of the inequities of the past by pardoning 2,732 convictions for Coloradans who simply had an ounce of marijuana or less. It’s ridiculous how being written up for smoking a joint in the 1970’s has followed some Coloradans throughout their lives and gotten in the way of their success,” said Governor Jared Polis.

The Governor adds, “Too many Coloradans have been followed their entire lives by a conviction for something that is no longer a crime, and these convictions have impacted their job status, housing, and countless other areas of their lives. Today we are taking this step toward creating a more just system and breaking down barriers to help transform people’s lives as well as coming to terms with one aspect of the past, failed policy of marijuana prohibition.”

This pardon applies to state-level convictions of possession for one ounce or less of marijuana. The Executive Order affects 2,732 convictions.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 is further looking into the exact number of people this will affect in El Paso County, Teller County and Fremont County.