California legalized cannabis in 2016 and promised to clear old records. Years later, tens of thousands of people were still waiting on relief they had already been guaranteed by law.
According to one report, there were approximately 500,000 people arrested for cannabis-related felonies and misdemeanors between 2006-2015. Yet, as of September 2017, only 4,885 people had petitioned the courts to have their records modified.
AB 1706 of 2022 was written to help close that gap.
As of April 2024, 216,157 cases have been dismissed, modified, recalled, or cleared. This represents a 95% reduction in the uptake gap, which is the difference between cases eligible for relief but not acted upon.