ALLENTOWN (TNS) — Earlier this year, I noted how it seems inevitable that Pennsylvania eventually will legalize marijuana for recreational use, as Republican support for legalization is growing.
If that’s the road we’re on, then there should be broad support for a program announced Thursday to help people who are saddled with a criminal record only because of minor marijuana offenses.
Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman unveiled a “one-time, large-scale pardoning project for people with select minor, non-violent marijuana criminal convictions.”
People who were convicted of marijuana possession or having a small amount of marijuana for personal use can apply for an accelerated pardon through the end of September.
The Board of Pardons, which is chaired by Fetterman, will begin reviewing cases in October and expects to make recommendations to Wolf in December about which applications should be approved. It then would be up to Wolf to grant pardons.
The application window is short because Wolf’s term expires in January.
Thousands of people potentially could be eligible for a pardon under the program, according to the governor’s office. Wolf and Fetterman, both Democrats, said pardons will help people who have struggled to find jobs, find housing and to volunteer at schools and other places because of their record.