DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - After the legalization of recreational marijuana, tens of thousands of Illinoisans have a chance to press the reset button and get their past records expunged.

Before Governor JB Pritzker's administration legalized cannabis, he campaigned on establishing equity in the justice system.

The state is focusing on the 'light cases', starting with those who have cannabis non-convictions between January 1, 2013 to June 25, 2019. County courthouses are expected to be flooded with paperwork.

Sherry Doty is Macon County's chief deputy and supervisor of the imaging, traffic and criminal departments at the circuit clerk's office. She's helped hundreds, if not thousands of central Illinoisans get their records wiped or sealed for more than 30 years. 

"I never give up on people," Doty said. "That's one of my faults." 

Doty said she's in the business of "seeing the good in others". Her workload is already heavy as is and she's expecting more from the state. She said the state police and the attorney general's office has a deadline to send her the files of eligible expungement recipients. 

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Doty said. 

In 2019, Pritzker said his administration was "ending a 50-year-long war on cannabis". It pardoned more than 11,000 low-level marijuana convictions in 92 counties. There are 116,000 cases in Illinois involving people who would be eligible for expungement.

Doty said there's no telling how many people are eligible in Macon County. State officials have until 2021 to include those numbers. 

"If (they) want it to get done quicker and faster, they can file it themselves," Doty said. 

The Macon County Circuit Clerk's Office provides expungement files on its website. It costs $146 to file for expungement. If a person can get a judge to approve the application, then it's free.

Doty encourages visiting a county courthouse rather than waiting on state officials - something Darrell Reynolds didn't take for granted. He used to sell marijuana illegally. 

"One way someone would know my past is if I tell them," Reynolds said. "That's the great thing about having the expungement and having it sealed." 

The man he was then doesn't reflect who he is now.  

"They don't see Dirty Red from the Chicago West Side," he chuckled. "They see Mr. Reynolds." 

Mr. Reynolds is a successful businessman and contractor in central Illinois. He was recently involved in interior design for the Chipotle restaurant in Decatur. Reynolds bragged about how he's doing something good in his community.

He described his work as leaving a legacy for his grandchildren to talk about. 

They could also talk about how Reynolds is paying it forward by hiring people who have low-level records. He then helps others get their records properly sealed or expunged through workshops. It's a collaborative effort with the Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, and it's called the Fresh Start Project. 

"The hardest part to me if your mindset," Reynolds said. "The only person who's going to hurt you (or) will make you feel bad about yourself is you." 

For the record, expungement means one's record is wiped. Sealing means the information is not public. 

The Macon County Sealing and Expungement Clinic is March 7, 2020. The event is located at the Decatur Township Office.