(Boston) CultivatED, a public/private partnership formed to create training and employment opportunities in cannabis industry, announced today that the organization will hold a clinic this month during National Expungement Week to provide free legal services to anyone negatively affected by the War on Drugs with a particular focus on individuals who have a criminal charge or conviction on their CORI and/or live in an area of disproportionate impact as defined by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) will oversee the clinic and advise on the appropriate ways to remove or seal an individual’s record.
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The virtual event will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 from 4:00p – 5:30p. You can access the clinic via this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81867445902
Acting Executive Director Ryan Dominguez will host the event along with Kim Napoli, Esq., Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Parallel, the parent company of NETA. GBLS will provide an overview of the expungement and record sealing process in Massachusetts with specific information about legal services that are available along with contact information to set up a future one-on-one consultation, free of charge, with a member of the GBLS team.
“While I believe record sealing and expungement for marijuana possession should be automatic, it is important that we are intentional about bridging the gap between the courts and persons in transition from the justice system. At CultivatED, we do this by providing free legal services through our vital partners at GBLS,” said Ryan Dominguez, acting executive director, CultivatED.
“The CultivatED partners are my heroes because they represent racial justice in action by giving people training and actual jobs which is lifechanging,” said Pauline Quirion, director of the CORI & Re-entry Project at GBLS Lead Attorney.
“While cannabis is legal for both adult and medical use in Massachusetts, people of color are (still) three times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession or still have criminal records for prior cannabis convictions. As the movement for broader legalization of cannabis grows, so do the efforts to expunge prior cannabis conviction records. As broader reforms are needed, we support National Expungement Week as one step to let people know they may be eligible for expungement, how they can find support to help those who want to expunge their records overcome any barriers,” said Kim Napoli, Esq., senior director of corporate social responsibility, Parallel, the parent company of NETA.
This clinic is sponsored by sponsored by the office of State Representative Chynah Tyler, Greater Boston Legal Services, NETA, Sira Naturals, Garden Remedies, Trulieve and PharmaCann.
CultivatED is the first in the nation Jails to Jobs Program for the cannabis industry. This innovative public-private partnership supports a robust co-operative education program, free legal services, workforce preparedness training, and cannabis externships with livable wages and benefits. CultivatED Founder’s Circle members include Garden Remedies, NETA, MedMen Enterprises, SIRA Naturals, Trulieve, Central Ave Compassionate Care, and Gage Cannabis Co. CultivatED Program partners also include PharmaCann and Berkshire Roots.
