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January 14, 2019

MARIJUANA
Washington State Governor announces pardon plan for misdemeanor pot convictions
On January 4, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced to attendees at the annual Washington State Cannabis Summit in Seattle that his office will offer pardons to approximately 3,500 Washington citizens who have been convicted of misdemeanor possession of cannabis between 1998 and 2012. To qualify, the person must have been convicted under state law, not a local ordinance, as their sole conviction as an adult, and must have an otherwise clean criminal record.

Washington voters approved medical marijuana in 1998, and legalized recreational use in 2012. Persons seeking the pardon will be able to submit a request using an online form that requires the requestor to identify the jurisdiction in which the conviction occurred and the date and case number of the conviction. Once the governor’s office has confirmed that the requestor meets the criteria for a pardon, it will be issued.

The governor’s office advises potential requestors that the office will request the State Patrol remove the listing of the conviction from public records, but that the record of the conviction will still remain in a separate criminal history. The pardon will not vacate or resulting in sealing of the conviction, unless the individual obtains relief from the court that entered the conviction. Pardoned individuals may state to others that they have been pardoned, but cannot state that they have never been convicted. [State of Washington Office of the Governor, Marijuana Justice Initiative, 2019 Jan 4; https://bit.ly/2SBOHOL]