Organizers of the Philadelphia CannaBusiness Association (PCBA) are grateful to have partnered with the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE) in a series of record clearing clinics held in Germantown, Philadelphia, from July to September 2022.

The clinics were organized to help people with marijuana-related convictions, and beyond, start the expungement and pardon process freeing their lives from convictions that only served to be detrimental to their livelihood and well-being. PCBA directed logistical and community outreach efforts as PLSE provided pro-bono lawyer services under their Marijuana Amnesty Project.

Under our R.E.P.A.I.R platform, PCBA supports sensical methods and initiatives that lead to the pardoning and expunging of people’s records for marijuana-related convictions. No one should be harmed or destabilized for past marijuana convictions.

Over the course of three clinics PCBA and PLSE serviced more than 200 people who took time out of their Saturdays to travel to Germantown’s First Presbyterian Church and begin their record clearing process. Some arrived with the hope to clear their records to move blockages to gainful employment, others were hoping to obtain passports to travel and see the world.

While expungements and pardons in Pennsylvania are not a simple nor fast process in removing past convictions, PCBA is thankful that many people turned out to our clinics and in turn helped themselves begin the journey of reprieve, respite, and true independence from the criminal legal system. 

For those that were unable to attend, you can still begin the process of determining your eligibility for a pardon and/or expungement by heading to the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity’s website and filling out their intake form with pertinent information related to your case. After filling out the intake form, a lawyer will follow up and contact you about your case.

PCBA looks forward to continuing to serve Philadelphians impacted by cannabis prohibition and the war on drugs.