Alaska House votes to limit access to marijuana convictions

JUNEAU, Alaska — The Alaska House has passed legislation restricting access to records showing past convictions for simple marijuana possession.

The measure is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Harriet Drummond. She says Alaskans should not be passed up for jobs or promotions for possessing something that is now legal.

Alaska voters in 2014 approved recreational use of marijuana by those 21 and older.

The bill pertains to convictions for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, committed when an individual was at least 21. Defendants would have had to have had any other criminal charges dismissed or been acquitted of them to qualify.

The court system could not publish on its publicly available website convictions meeting those requirements.

Convictions aren’t erased but public access would be restricted.

The Senate gets the bill next.