Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is scheduled to sign an executive order to issue more than 175,000 pardons for marijuana convictions Monday, the governor’s office said.

The administration is describing the pardons as the largest state pardon to date. The governor’s action regarding cases relating to use of paraphernalia make Maryland the first state to take such action, his office said.

The pardons will forgive low-level marijuana possession charges for an estimated 100,000 people, according to The Washington Post, which first reported on the order Sunday night.

Moore plans to sign the executive order Monday morning in the state Capitol in Annapolis with Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown in attendance.

Recreational cannabis was legalized in Maryland in 2023 after voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2022 with 67% of the vote. Maryland decriminalized possession of personal use amounts of cannabis on Jan. 1, 2023. Now, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis.

“The Moore-Miller Administration is committed to promoting social equity and ensuring the fair and equitable administration of justice,” the governor’s office said. “Because the use and possession of cannabis is no longer illegal in the state, Marylanders should not continue to face barriers to housing, employment, or educational opportunities based on convictions for conduct that is no longer illegal.”

Brown, a Democrat, described the pardons as “certainly long overdue as a nation” and “a racial equity issue.”

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It is both possible that Black people believe in conspiracy theories, and that Black people have centuries of firsthand experience with real-life conspiracies waged against them. But in the end, can we really call them conspiracy theories when the receipts for actual conspiracies are plentiful and readily available?

A study from the Pew Research Center found that majorities of Black people believe in ‘racial conspiracy theories,’ specifically that American institutions are designed to hold them back. Pew defines “racial conspiracy theories” as “the suspicions that Black adults might have about the actions of U.S. institutions based on their personal and collective historical experiences with racial discrimination.” 

(After the study was published, Pew later added an editor’s note to its report stating that the study is under review, and using the term “racial conspiracy theories” was “not the best choice” to make. “Black Americans’ doubts about the fairness of U.S. institutions are accompanied by suspicion. How Black Americans think those institutions impact their ability to thrive is worthy of study, and that’s the purpose of this survey,” the Pew editor said.)

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Tennis sensation Coco Gauff rejoiced after winning her second Grand Slam tournament. But it wasn’t exactly in the tournament that she really craved.

Gauff, 20, became the youngest woman tennis player to win her first Grand Slam singles and doubles in 20 years title after she fellow tour member Katerina Siniakova defeated Italians Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open on Sunday. 

Coco Gauff accomplishes another momentous tennis feat

With the conquest, Gauff becomes the youngest player to win Grand Slam singles and doubles titles since Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005, according to Tennis.com. 

This was Gauff’s third trip to a Grand Slam doubles finals, losing the previous two at Roland Garros in Paris in 2022 and the U.S. Open in New York in 2021.

“Third time’s a charm. Thank you, Katerina, for playing with me. We decided two days before the tournament to play together,” Gauff said during her victory speech. “Thank you to the fans. I know 11:30 Sunday morning is early for most people. It’s early for me.”

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