Cannabis Decriminalization and Expungement Bills Filed in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Senator Mike Stack has filed two cannabis-related proposals, one to decriminalize certain cannabis possession charges, and one to allow individuals to expunge
cannabis misdemeanors from their record after an allotted period of time.
Under Senate Bill 1307, the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis would become a simple ticket for someone’s first two offenses. Local district attorneys would have the option of filing criminal charges for subsequent offenses.
“An average of 300,000 people a year are charged in Pennsylvania with possession of small amounts of marijuana,” according to Senator Stack.
If Senate Bill 1308 is approved into law, those with a cannabis misdemeanor can have it removed from their record after a 5-year period, if they aren’t arrested again during that period.
“We don’t want young people who are charged with a crime when they’re 18 to 19 years-old with a small amount of marijuana, to be forever unable to get a job in education or the military or someplace where they may need to have a clean record,” says Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, who’s in support of the bill.
Both measures have been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee
– TheJointBlog