(CNN) Nearly 66,000 marijuana convictions in Los Angeles County will be dismissed thanks in part to state laws that paved the way for the action, the county district attorney said Thursday.

The cases include 62,000 felony convictions for cases -- including those for marijuana sales and cultivation -- dating back to 1961, and about 4,000 misdemeanor possession cases, District Attorney Jackie Lacey's office said.

"The dismissal of tens of thousands of old cannabis-related convictions in Los Angeles County will bring much-needed relief to communities of color that disproportionately suffered the unjust consequences of our nation's drug laws," Lacey said in a news release.

"I am privileged to be part of a system dedicated to finding innovative solutions and implementing meaningful criminal justice reform that gives all people the support they need to build the life they deserve," she said.

The 66,000 dismissals mean conviction relief for about 53,000 people. About 45% are Latino; 32% are black; and 20% are white, Lacey's office said.

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