Trudeau government to pardon simple possession of cannabis

The federal government will be putting forward a bill to provide expedited pardons for simple possession of marijuana at no cost, according to Minister Ralph Goodale. Under the current laws, a Canadian applying for a pardon of a criminal conviction must pay $631 and the process can take up to 10 years to complete.

The Trudeau government has for two years been receiving severe criticism for legalizing marijuana while leaving many Canadians to still serve out their sentences. Earlier in 2018 they did note their intent to put forward such a bill, but nothing really occurred until today.

The bill could have a widespread impact on the lives of many Canadians as more than 500,000 have a criminal record for having pot on their person, according to a 2014 study.

While the pardons will help Canadians in Canada, travelling south of the border will likely not become much easier.

According to the U.S. Custom and Border Protection agency: the U.S. recognizes foreign convictions for something that would be a crime in their country, and it does not recognize foreign pardons.

This is fairly understandable as a pardon does not make a past conviction disappear. It asks for the criminal record to be set aside as if you are provided with another chance.

What do you think about the coming bill? Join the conversation by commenting below!