Annapolis, MD - Maryland Governor Wes Moore is set to grant over 175,000 pardons for marijuana convictions, which the governor's office hails as the largest state pardon in history.

This executive order, which is scheduled to be signed on Monday, makes Maryland the first state to take such sweeping action.

To emphasize the seriousness of the situation, Governor Moore will sign the executive order alongside Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown at the state Capitol in Annapolis.

This decision follows a 2022 constitutional amendment that saw Maryland citizens vote overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing recreational cannabis, with a considerable 67% voting in support. On January 1, 2023, Maryland officially decriminalized possession of personal use amounts of cannabis.

Maryland is 1 of 24 states and the District of Columbia that have legalized recreational cannabis.