If you have a marijuana misdemeanor conviction on your record in Washington state, you can now have it removed.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has decided to pardon those with a single marijuana conviction on their record. The governor's spokeswoman, Jamie Smith, says the marijuana justice initiative should provide some benefits to those people.
“For some people, it’s that little barrier that might prevent them from renting an apartment, get housing, apply for a credit card, and even get a job. We cannot authorize people when they are filling out applications to say they’ve never been convicted, but it is certainly the case now to say that conviction was pardoned,” Smith said.
The legislature has debated removing marijuana convictions, but never endorsed that action.
The initiative is available to anyone with a misdemeanor pot conviction that occurred between January 1, 1998 through December 5, 2012 when I-502 legalized marijuana in Washington. It’s believed 3500 people were convicted in that timeframe.
Smith says the state may decide to go back further in time to delete other convictions, depending on how many people use the new process.
You can find the form to have a marijuana misdemeanor removed from your record on the governors website.
