Officials encourage Pennsylvanians to apply for marijuana conviction pardons
PHILADELPHIA - Pennsylvanians are being encouraged to apply for pardons involving non-violent marijuana-related charges.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman confirmed that Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons, which he leads, is expediting the application process to be pardoned for marijuana-related charges.
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor made the announcement Thursday.
“Right now: we can alleviate the burden of small-amount, nonviolent cannabis convictions that scar the lives of otherwise productive citizens. These people have done no harm to anyone else,” Lt. Gov. Fetterman wrote in a tweet.
On Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf stated that he supported the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. In the same announcement, he asked lawmakers to consider the idea.
As a part of the legislation, both Lt. Gov. Fetterman and Gov. Wolf seek to “decriminalize minor cannabis-related offenses and expunge past convictions of minor-cannabis related crimes”.
This decision comes a day after the call for marijuana legalization across the state.
In a detailed report that considered information gathered over 98 days during a 70-stop tour across Pennsylvania, officials concluded that between 65 and 70 percent of Pennsylvania residents approve of adult-use cannabis legalization.
Over 10,000 Pennsylvanians attended those meetings and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor recorded over 44,000 responses. Eighty-two percent of those responses were for marijuana legalization.
A “special stream” for marijuana-related applications was created in order to help speed up the process of receiving a pardon.
To apply for a pardon, applications are available online.