Cannabis Pardons: Puff puff.. pass?
Cannabis pardons; progress in theory, a nightmare in practice. We’ll keep it short and sweet: most people don’t qualify and the program has been an unequivocal failure. This sentiment has been frequently echoed since Cannabis Pardons were introduced by the Canadian Government in 2019, as evidenced in the following selection of articles published over the past 18 months since the legislative change came into effect:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cannabis-pot-pardons-record-suspension-1.5376974
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/canada-cannabis-pardons_ca_5ef3664ec5b6c5bf7c58a6c3
To be eligible to receive a “free” (yes, there are absolutely fees involved) cannabis pardon you must have ONLY simple possession of cannabis on your record. Oh, and did I mention you have to be able to prove it? You must order and provide either court or police records to the Parole Board that show the substance involved in your conviction was cannabis and nothing else. You must also still obtain a fingerprint criminal record check through the RCMP and local police record check(s) for your recent address history. Have a DUI and a possession charge? You’re out of luck. Have a cultivation or trafficking offence? You don’t qualify. Can’t show that your conviction involved cannabis because the offence is so dated that the records no longer exist? You’re not eligible.
It’s a flawed program and it’s frustrating for applicants. There’s still paperwork involved, fees associated with obtaining documents, and hoops to jump through. It’s dispiriting for people who thought this was reflective of real change and doesn’t go far enough to help those convicted of an offence that is legal today.
Not sure if you’re eligible for a cannabis pardon? Give us a call!
The ‘Suspend This’ Team