The organization that’s advocating for cannabis convictions to be overturned has received a $50,000 boost, with Canadian legalization just around the corner.
Aurora Cannabis announced its contribution to the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty this week, which is a non-partisan, not-for-profit group of lawyers, activists, and entrepreneurs “brought together by the belief that the harms caused by decades of marijuana prohibition must be made right.”
“The legalization of cannabis in Canada represents a monumental and positive policy shift. However, more than 500,000 Canadians will continue to carry the burden of criminal records from simple possession offenses, many of them from marginalized communities,” notes a release. “Without pardons and record expungement, the negative impact of these records will continue to limit their ability to find housing or employment, to travel, or volunteer.”
Jonathan Zaid, Aurora’s Director of Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility, says the company “strongly believes that the negative socio-economic impact of maintaining criminal records for simple possession needs to be addressed urgently.”
“We look to the Canadian government to provide amnesty to these people, largely from marginalized communities, ensuring their broad exclusion from Canadian society is lifted,” Zaid added.
“The work of the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty is making a very positive contribution towards this much needed policy change. Even through there is still a lot of work to be done to encourage justice reform in this area, Aurora is proud to support organizations like Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty that are leading the way forward.”
Annamaria Enenajor, Director of the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty, added: “We are very excited about Aurora’s decision to support the campaign. Aurora’s commitment to social responsibility makes it a perfect ally for this important work. We believe that adding Aurora’s voice to our own will allow us to shine a brighter light on the urgent need for cannabis amnesty.
“Granting pardons for cannabis possession will directly help over half a million Canadians, and benefit our economy at the same time,” said Enenajor. “It’s a no-brainer and we are looking to work closely with legislators in Ottawa to make this happen.”
Learn more about the campaign at CannabisAmnesty.ca.
