HARRISBURG (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Encouraging Pennsylvanians to Apply for Marijuana-Related Pardons
On Wednesday Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced the findings of his state-wide listening tour.
Joined by Gov. Tom Wolf, Fetterman announced three actions he would like to see the legislature to make:
- Asking the legislature to get a bill to the governor's desk that decriminalizes non-violent and small cannabis-related offenses.
- Seeking a path to restorative justice through the expungement of past convictions of non-violent and small cannabis-related crimes.
- Calling on the General Assembly to seriously debate and consider the legalization of adult-use, recreational marijuana.
Now, Fetterman says he is urging Pennsylvania residents convicted of nonviolent marijuana-related crimes to apply for a pardon.
These include those who were charged with nonviolent, small-amount marijuana possession and/or paraphernalia.
Fetterman, who leads the Board of Pardons says he is "expediting the application process for pardons of such offenses."
"Full legalization could take some time, but one thing we can do right now is alleviate the burden of small-amount, nonviolent convictions that scar the lives of otherwise productive citizens," Fetterman said. "These people have done no harm to anyone else. They shouldn't continue to suffer with employment and housing issues because they were convicted of doing something that most Pennsylvanians don't even think should be illegal."
If a Pardon is granted the state forgives the crime and the next step is applying for an expungement.
An expungement takes place in the county where the charges were filed and removes the conviction from the person's criminal record.
Applications can be filed for free here.
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