Michigan voters legalized adult cannabis in 2018 and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed clean slate legislation in 2020, Metro Times reported in 2021. Cannabis misdemeanors such as possession were to be expunged automatically starting in 2023, while former felonies such as growing require an application.
Attorney Barton Morris estimated over 1,000 Michigan residents were incarcerated for now-legal cannabis activity. Michael Thompson, sentenced in 1996 to up to 60 years for selling marijuana to an undercover officer, had his sentence commuted by Whitmer in December 2020. Advocates sought pardons, and Washtenaw prosecutor Eli Savit was cited as a possible leader on proactive expungement.
Why it matters: The 1,000-plus figure is an advocate's estimate from 2021, but it shows the scale of the gap between legalization and relief for people already serving time.
Source: Metro Times, 2021-04-18. Forgotten Prisoner's account is based on this reporting.