Ready to have your marijuana conviction expunged? It is easier now, thanks to Senate Bill 420 – and I am here to help.

Let’s break down the new benefits of this bill and how it makes marijuana expungements faster and easier than ever:

1. SB 420 does away with the $281 court filing fee, $80 OSP fee, and fingerprint card requirement. What does this mean? All you have to do is sign the motion, and sign & have the accompanying affidavit notarized. This bill saves you money and the hassle of having to go get your fingerprints taken.

2. SB 420 does away with some of the time restrictions for filing the expungement motion. Under this bill, the motion may be filed “at any time following judgment of conviction for a qualifying marijuana conviction.” Oregon’s expungement statute, ORS 137.225, requires a person to not have any other conviction within the preceding ten years. This bill does away with that requirement. This means someone who would otherwise not yet be eligible to have their marijuana conviction expunged due to other recent convictions is now eligible to have the marijuana conviction expunged. This is great news and will, I expect, help a lot of people.

3. SB 420 sets a strict deadline on the DA. The DA only has 30 days to object to the expungement. If the DA does not object within this time frame, the court may grant the expungement. This time frame is significantly quicker than normal expungements which can range from 3-6 months from filing to
completion.

I am so happy that Oregon has joined other states in relaxing the expungement laws for marijuana cases. I hope people take advantage of this change in the law. I am ready to assist you with expunging your marijuana or other cases – why wait?

Next up: “Qualifying marijuana conviction” explained