The City of San Francisco, California will retroactively apply the western US state's new marijuana legalization law to wipe off the books thousands of criminal convictions for pot possession.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon says than 3,000 misdemeanor cases dating back to 1975 will be dismissed and sealed.  Most convictions will be expunged; more than 4,600 felony convictions will be reviewed for dismissal or reduction.  The decision stands to help thousands of past and present city residents whose convictions hurt their chances for employment or obtaining some government benefits.

California voters passed Proposition 64 in 2016 which legalizes the recreational use of marijuana for those 21 and older and permits the possession up to one ounce of cannabis.  The legislation also allows those with past marijuana convictions to petition a court to recall or dismiss their cases.  Rather than wait for individual petitions - which is time-consuming and can cost hundreds of dollars in attorney fees for plaintiffs - Gascon and crew will deal with the issue en masse.