LANSING – Misdemeanors involving low-level marijuana use and possession would be automatically cleared from Michiganders' records under a bill that will be introduced this week by Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor.

The bill would allow roughly 235,000 people to have their misdemeanor records for marijuana use and possession automatically expunged without having to go through the courts.

"We would go in through the Michigan State Police's database and make changes to records electronically and administratively without having to go through all the time and expense of going through the courts," Irwin said. "This is so important to a large number of people in Michigan ... who when they’re applying for jobs or student loans, they're put in a position where their record can affect their future."

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The Michigan bill is similar to action taken in California to clear low-level marijuana crimes after voters approved legalizing weed for recreational use. In Illinois, the legislature passed a bill earlier this year that, in part, will provide an automatic gubernatorial pardon of possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana.

Both Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel have said they favor clearing low-level marijuana crimes from people's records and the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, which advocates for the industry, applauded the bill.

“Having a marijuana arrest on your record can impact your ability to get a job or even a student loan,” said association spokesman Josh Hovey. “This legislation will give back economic opportunities to people who were engaging in what is now a legal activity."

William Vailliencourt, the Livingston County prosecutor and president-elect of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, said while he hasn't seen the specific language of the proposed bill, "we are willing to work with the Legislature to provide relief as long as it’s done in a workable fashion."

Many prosecutors around Michigan are looking at pending cases and dismissing some misdemeanor marijuana crimes if those charges are no longer illegal under the new legalization law, Valliencourt said.

"We look at the conduct involved and if it’s not a violation of what voters approved in November, we’ve dismissed the charges," he said. "But we're taking it case by case."

Michigan does have a way for people to apply for expungement of their records, but according to the cannabis association, only about 6% of people with marijuana charges on their record have participated because of the time and expense involved.

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The bill also includes an avenue for people with more serious marijuana crimes to apply through the courts to have their record expunged.

"If you’re one of the 25,000 people who have a more serious, related cannabis crime, there would be more opportunity to seek an expungement," Irwin said. "This bill would say, you can seek even if you have more than one conviction."

One example is a difference in the way counties charge marijuana crimes. In Washtenaw County, for example, a person caught with a pound of marijuana may only get charged with misdemeanor possession, while in other parts of the state, the person would be charged with the felony of possession with intent to deliver for the same amount of pot.

"We can’t do that in an automatic way because the State Police database doesn’t get into that level of detail," Irwin said. "But this will provide tools for expungement for those people, too."

Several other bills regarding marijuana crimes have been introduced, including a package that would release people from prison, as well as from parole and probation, for marijuana offenses that are no longer a crime. None of those bills have received a committee hearing yet.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal.