According to the New York Times, people who have low-level felony or misdemeanor marijuana charges on their record that are at least ten years old will be eligible for expungement.

While the transition in Oregon is nowhere near what is needed for the hundreds of thousands who are still incarcerated, the aspect that allows for old cases to be expunged is at least a step in the right direction, and is helping people clear their records so they can avoid discrimination.

"Oregon is one of the first states to really grapple with the issue of what do you do with a record of something that used to be a crime and no longer is," law professor Jenny M. Roberts told the New York Times.

It is certainly true that people who have had prior marijuana convictions should not be denied a job or volunteering opportunity because they have a charge on their record, especially after the plant is declared legal. However, if this is the case, then surely people who are currently sitting in jail for doing the same thing should not be forced to continue their sentences for something that they should never have been prosecuted for in the first place.