Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman want thousands of Pennsylvanians to clear their records for possession and personal-use convictions.
If you’re a Pennsylvania resident with a low-level cannabis-related prosecution lingering on your record, you have a huge opportunity to set things right this month. But the deadline of Sept. 30 is fast approaching.
Individuals can apply for an accelerated pardon through this one-time project at pa.gov/mjpardon. Once a person submits their application, they will be contacted if any necessary follow-up is needed.
Here’s how the program got started
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and current Lt. Governor and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman announced that thousands of Pennsylvanians are eligible for relief via the state’s PA Marijuana Pardon Project.
The initiative is a longstanding passion project of both Wolf and Fetterman. It is a “one-time, large-scale pardon effort” allowing anyone who has been convicted of possession of marijuana or small amounts of personal use to have their records wiped clean.
There is no limit for the age of conviction, the application process is free, and entirely online.
Social equity in cannabis
The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons is accepting applications for the PA Marijuana Pardon Project from Thursday, September 1 through Friday, September 30, to PA residents who were charged for up to 30 grams of marijuana or eight grams of hashish.
Pennsylvanians eligible for the opportunity to be pardoned are those with one or both of the following convictions:
- Possession of Marijuana (Title 35 Section 780-113 Subsection A31)
- Marijuana, Small Amount Personal Use (Title 35 Section 780-113 Subsection A31I)
“I have repeatedly called on our Republican-led General Assembly to support the legalization of adult-use marijuana, but they’ve yet to meet this call for action from myself and Pennsylvanians,” Wolf said via press release.
“Until they do, I am committed to doing everything in my power to support Pennsylvanians who have been adversely affected by a minor marijuana offense on their record.”
“Nobody should be turned down for a job, housing, or volunteering at your child’s school because of some old nonviolent weed charge, especially given that most of us don’t even think this should be illegal.”
Those who are not eligible to apply for a pardon through this project because they have additional criminal convictions on their record are encouraged to apply for clemency using a standard application available at bop.pa.gov.
