Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced a Marijuana Justice Initiative that will allow people that meet specific criteria to have their convictions pardoned. Per the Governor's web site, you must submit the webform to petition for clemency through the Marijuana Justice Initiative web page and you must meet the following parameters to be eligible:
- It must be an adult conviction for misdemeanor marijuana possession;
- Prosecuted under Washington state law (RCW), not a local ordinance;
- The conviction must have occurred between January 1, 1998 and December 5, 2012;
- It must be the only conviction on your criminal record.
If you do not meet these parameters, you are not eligible for relief through the marijuana Justice Initiative. You can, however, still pursue clemency for other state law convictions by filing a petition with the Clemency and Pardon's Board.
After your pardon is confirmed, the governor’s office will provide a copy of that pardon to you, the court clerk in the jurisdiction where the conviction occurred, and to Washington State Patrol.
You can find the petition web form, as well as other frequently asked questions, on the Clemency & Pardons Board web page for the Marijuana Justice Initiative.
Note: To complete the web form you will need the name of the court (Jurisdiction) where the conviction occurred as well as your case number and the conviction date. If you do not have this information, you can use the Administrative Office of the Courts' Name Search feature to locate the court (Jurisdiction) name and case number. You would then need to contact the court to determine the specific conviction date to provide on your petition. Court contact information can be located on the Court Directories page of this web site.
Published 01/14/2019 11:16 AM | Updated 01/17/2019 11:39 AM