Pot-related criminal records won’t automatically go away when cannabis is legalized later this month .
It will be easy to get a conviction for possession removed, but it will take time.
Kirk Nyquist, co-host of the Reefer MEDness Podcast, had a conversation with Dauphin Lawyer Aaron Beddome about the legalities.
Beddome said that even if you get charged for possession the day before legalization, i will take a long time to get those charges removed from your record.
“People refer to it as a pardon, but really, it’s actually called a record suspension, you have to wait five years from your sentencing date, your date of conviction. Then you can apply for a record suspension.
The Parole Board of Canada charges $631 to process a record suspension application along with other fees like using a lawyer.
“I foresee that there will be some sort of streamlined process for those types of people who,(have) a simple possession of marijuana or cannabis.”
The federal government is exploring options to pardon the thousands of Canadian who have possession charges.
You can listen to the full interview with Bedomme in episode S1E3 on www.ReeferMed.ca.
