If You are Convicted for Marijuana Offense, Apply for Pardon

According to Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, if you are a resident of Pennsylvania and have been convicted for a nonviolent marijuana offense, then you need to apply for your pardon now. As the government has planned to legalize the recreational consumption of marijuana in Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf has announced that the government is ready to expedite the past marijuana offenders as the first step of it.

The pardon is the first step of expungement in the county where it is charged. When someone files for pardon, the state gives this as if the offense was never there. However, a petition needs to be filed with the help of Pittsburgh criminal lawyer for starting the expungement process. This process will lead to the complete removal of the case from the individual’s record.

While the majority of Pennsylvania considers possession of marijuana as a misdemeanor, places like Harrisburg and Philadelphia look at it as a summary offense as they have already decriminalized it. However, in this case, expungement of a misdemeanor only happens in two ways, if the convicted is more than 70 years or old or already dead. The offense of possessing marijuana in a small amount was not eligible for expungement until this pardon was granted.

With the introduction of expedite process by Governor Wolf and Board of Pardons Chairman Lieutenant Government Fetterman, it takes immediate effect for people with marijuana offenses including misdemeanor possessions to felony possessions. People don’t have to wait for two and a half years. The case can get expunged in one year or less. A special stream of marijuana cases application has been created by the Board of Pardons for a faster process. Though till 2019, the process of pardon was taking care of the backlogged cases, from 2020 it has taken up speed. Also, the Board of Pardon has made the application process free by waiving the previous fee of $63.

At the same time, the Clean Slate Bill came into effect which seals the marijuana misdemeanor records automatically without the convicted people filing any petition with the court. However, for this, the convicted people will have to wait for 10 years, will have to remain conviction and arrest-free.

The eligibility factors for the pardon are as followed:

• Possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use or intent of distribution but not for sale
• Paraphernalia related offense involving marijuana including, delivery, possession, and unlawful promotion
• Marijuana-related DUI if the offender is a marijuana cardholder from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Felony involving marijuana
• Any cases where the Board of Pardon thinks the offender deserved to be pardoned

If your case involves one or many of these eligibility factors, you can apply for the pardon in Pennsylvania.

If you are looking for more information about this and want to file a pardon for your past marijuana offense, then connect with our Pittsburgh criminal lawyer now. At Logue Law Group, we are helping many people getting this pardon. You can get help too. Connect now.