Ohio Bill Would Allow Record Sealing, Expungement for Paraphernalia Convictions

Ohio Senate Passes Senate Bill 288 in a vote of 27 to 2 on November 30. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Nathan Manning, spoke to the Senate about the goals of the 975-page bill. “We have been doing a lot of work on this bill. The point is to improve our criminal justice system, reduce crime in our society, and make our society a safer place.” manning said“And to do that, we’ve done a lot of work here.”

Manning explains: Specification Ensuring that those who enter our justice system leave the system as better people, lowering recidivism rates, improving their quality of life and reducing future victims.

Among the many proposed changes, SB-288 considers possession of cannabis paraphernalia a minor misdemeanor. “Arrest or conviction for a minor misdemeanor violation of this section does not constitute a criminal record, and a person so arrested or convicted shall not be subject to any You are not required to report in response to questions regarding your criminal record, license, or other rights or privileges, or made in connection with the appearance of any person as a witness.” Current bill text status.

Those convicted of possession of cannabis paraphernalia are allowed to have their records publicly sealed after six months, and are eligible to have their records expunged after three years. The current draft states that the application fee will be “$50 or less.”

SB-288 is now heading to the House of Representatives for further consideration. The 134th Congress will end on Dec. 21, and if the bill is not passed by the House and signed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, it will have to be reintroduced in the next Congress.

Earlier this May, proponents in Ohio decided to postpone the ballot proposal for adult-use cannabis legalization until 2023. settlement allows those signatures to be retained until next year.

“We hope we can do that.” Attorney Tom Haren He spoke about his adult cannabis efforts. “Get your staff prepared. Our intention is to give Ohio voters a chance to intervene if the General Assembly continues to ignore it.”

Two years after Ohio legalized medical cannabis, as of March 2022, the state has amassed $725 million in sales.State allows resident patients to use medical cannabis as a treatment 22 conditionsbut this number could change if “a patient’s condition is reasonably expected to be relieved from medical marijuana” if the General Assembly passes the current proposal.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear recently signed an executive order allowing medical cannabis if purchased in a state that has legalized it. Ohio shares a border with Kentucky, but patients are not legally allowed to purchase medical marijuana, as Ohio residents can only purchase cannabis for medicinal purposes. Currently, this leaves Illinois as the only option, with Missouri and Virginia likely to open up after their medical cannabis programs take effect.