The Legal Aid Society, earlier this week, welcomed and participated in Queens DA Melinda Katz’s request to dismiss and seal thousands of low-level marijuana cases. DA Katz’s motion – put forward over concerns of disproportionate impact the law has inflicted on communities of color – makes Queens the third borough, after Staten Island and the Bronx, to issue the request on the heels of the statewide legalization of marijuana.

Legal Aid Society Lawyer Emma Goodman, who spoke on behalf of the thousands of clients the organization represented, celebrated the court’s recognition of the disproportionate harm caused to communities of color through the criminalization of pot.

“For decades our clients have shouldered the brunt of marijuana prohibition, losing years of their lives ensnared in the criminal legal system and denied meaningful employment, housing and other opportunities,” Goodman told the Queens Daily Eagle. “These dismissals are crucial for our clients, a majority from communities of color who can now move on with their lives. “