Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, in her waning days in office, announced she is pardoning Oregonians convicted of simple possession of marijuana. The pardon will remove 47,144 convictions for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, her office said. The move will also forgive more than $14 million in fines and fees associated with the offenses.
Recreational marijuana use for adults became legal in Oregon in 2015. Here are questions and answers about the pardons:
1. Who does this affect and will individuals be notified?
These pardons are for state of Oregon convictions of possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, for cases filed in 2015 or earlier, in certain electronically available cases that met three criteria: 1) the only charge in the case was for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana (meaning no other charges were filed and the case did not involve manufacture or delivery of marijuana); 2) the case did not include a victim; and 3) the person was 21 years of age or older at the time he or she possessed the marijuana.
Individuals affected will not be notified.
2. What does someone need to do to obtain the pardon?
No action is required if the case meets the criteria outlined above. In those cases, the pardon will mean the circuit court in the county where someone was convicted will seal the case, which removes it from the official court record.
“If your marijuana conviction and case met the criteria described above, then the Governor’s pardon of your conviction and…
