Gov. Wolf to speed up pardon process for small marijuana convictions

Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday he will speed up the pardon process for those convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana after he called last week for legalizing adult recreational cannabis in Pennsylvania.
With Lt. Gov. John Fetterman at his side in Harrisburg, Wolf said he’s “committed to giving people second chances” after they have been convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“It’s the right time to do this,” Wolf said.
He said some people with marijuana convictions get a “life sentence” of being rejected from jobs, housing and education because of their records, even if they have turned their lives around.
The courts in Washington County have made a practice of reducing possession of small amounts of marijuana possession to disorderly conduct.
“It’s just a matter of practicality,” said Dennis Paluso, first assistant district attorney in the county.
“They’re routinely reduced. That’s a fact,” Paluso said.
He said there have been few convictions of the crime in the county in the past year. The convictions resulted in the charges being attached to other crimes, such as driving under the influence of alcohol.
In Fayette, the courts appear to seek convictions of the crime.
Uniontown state police made more arrests for marijuana possession (864) than stations in Belle Vernon, Pittsburgh, Washington and Waynesburg made combined from 2014 through 2018, according to the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting System. Marijuana possession arrests out of those five stations increased more than 200% from 2014 to 2018, including just under 60% from 2017 to 2018 alone, the Herald-Standard in Uniontown reported.
In the first two months of 2018 alone, there were 55 cases that included a marijuana possession charge in Fayette County. Of those 55, 44 included charges waived or held for Common Pleas Court. Four were withdrawn and seven had undetermined resolutions.
The pardon application process will have less red tape, include no application fee and be “less convoluted,” Wolf said.
He also said he will not rubber stamp the applications, that he would read every one of them. Those who have been convicted of violent offenses will not qualify for a pardon.
Tens of thousands of people are convicted of these crimes each year in the state, Fetterman said.
He said the pardons will put “Pennsylvania in a better place.”
The announcement came at a time when there appears to be bipartisan support in the Legislature for decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, something that is expected to take time to accomplish.
“We’re cranking up the speed limit a little bit,” Fetterman said.
For more information on the state’s pardon process, visit: https://www.bop.pa.gov/application-process/Pages/Process.aspx/.