KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Change is in action after the passage of Amendment 3 cleared the path for Missouri residents to have non-violent marijuana cases expunged.
Missouri Courts reports 5,203 marijuana expungements have been granted by the state as of Thursday.
But the number of cases does not necessarily correlate with how many people have had their records expunged. Instead, the figure is based on cases, a majority of which were misdemeanors.
The court's county-by-county breakdown shows Clay County leads the state with 1,305 expungements granted thus far.
Fourteen counties in the state have expunged at least 100 marijuana cases, including Buchanan, Carroll and Pettis counties.
The courts have until December to expunge felony cases and until June to expunge misdemeanors, per Amendment 3.
Those still in prison have to petition a judge to have their case(s) expunged, like Adam Mace who became the first person jailed in Missouri to have a marijuana-related conviction expunged.
Mace was released from prison less than 24 hours after he was granted expungement on Jan. 19.
As of Feb. 2, there are 27 marijuana expungement cases that have been filed throughout the state that have yet to be determined.