Plan to erase drug conviction records to begin with a public consultation

An electoral pledge to allow people with simple drug convictions to wipe their criminal record clean will start off with a public consultation to be held in a few months’ time.

Reforms Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg said on Monday that the consultation would help the government decide on how to move forward and implement the measure.

“This is a question of equality, why should it be that someone who has paid the price for their mistakes, and has also spent years clean, must continue to suffer and not be able to have the same opportunities as others?” she asked.

Buttigieg did not provide details about when the consultation would be published.

The pledge builds on a similar initiative introduced last year as part of a cannabis decriminalisation reform, allowing people caught with other substances to also apply to have that struck from their criminal record.

Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg during Monday's consultation meeting on the expungement of crimes related to simple possession of drugs on a persons police conduct. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard hinted that the government also plans to allow people to wipe other crimes from their...