Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Lt. Governor John Fetterman, and the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons Secretary Brandon Flood held a press conference on Wednesday to clarify and elaborate on the state’s pardons process and how it can benefit people with low-level cannabis convictions.
When Wolf and Fetterman last week announced the final report from the recent statewide adult-use cannabis listening tour, the Lt. Governor said that he would be asking the Board of Pardons (BOP) to expedite pardon applications from people with low-level marijuana convictions.
Governor Wolf felt it necessary to elaborate on the issue as the pardons are projected to affect thousands of Pennsylvanians and create opportunities for jobs, housing, and education.
“I want to emphasize that while we cut down on the red tape for pardons, these cases are not being rubber stamped,” said Governor Wolf. “I read each recommended case individually and weigh the decision carefully. I factor in the effect a pardon will have on past victims and the likelihood to reoffend. But I also weigh the consequences of people continuing to carry a record when they have turned their lives around.”
Governor Wolf says that allowing more cases to be heard through the pardons process means the right thing is being done as people are being treated as individual human beings
Secretary Flood says that BOP is currently reviewing pardon applications to determine how many meet the criteria of being non-violent cases involving the possession of small amounts of cannabis or related paraphernalia.
BOP is looking into how it can address such cases through its current review process, which Flood says needs to be expedited while legislative action is considered.
Flood says that while Pennsylvania could legalize adult-use cannabis at some point in the future, there is uncertainty as to whether the General Assembly will provide retroactive relief to the countless Pennsylvanians who have endured direct and collateral consequences of marijuana-specific criminal convictions.
“Our policy proposal should be viewed as an attempt to balance the scales of justice within the context of our nation’s ever-evolving drug policy,” says Secretary Flood.
Governor Wolf and Lt. Governor Fetterman are urging Pennsylvanians with cannabis-related, nonviolent possession or paraphernalia charges to apply for free for a pardon and have their application expedited.
Wolf says that, with the favorable sentiment that exists for cannabis legalization, there is no reason that minor marijuana convictions should continue to hinder people from living their most-productive lives.
