CINCINNATI (WKRC) - While purchasing up to 2.5 ounces of recreational marijuana is the new normal in the Buckeye State, this time last year, it would have been a crime.
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A law passed in April 2023 expanded the convictions eligible for expungement in Ohio, and it includes some marijuana cases.
In Nov. 2023, voters opted to legalize up to 2.5 ounces of recreational weed purchased from authorized dispensaries. The law went into effect in Dec. 2023, with a rollout in Aug. 2024.
Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Pavan Parikh said those convicted of possessing that amount of marijuana prior to the legalization could have that erased from their record.
"Each one of those is a fact-by-fact, case-by-case analysis that has to happen because expungement isn't just purely about what's this one charge," Parikh explained. "That's a component of it. It's also about 'what other charges do you have. Do you have other convictions. What's the time frame on all of those.' So, you have to do a holistic analysis of the individual to determine whether or not they can have any individual case expunged."
Hamilton County has processed nearly 400 stand-alone marijuana misdemeanor cases over the past five years, according to Parikh.
Those cases are more likely to get expungement than those that have multiple charges in addition to possession of marijuana.
"If you're going to go through the process to do an expungement, the first step really is to get the paperwork," he explained. "Come here, file the paperwork, pay the filing fee. And then work with either your attorney or our staff as it's going through the process."
There is a $50 application fee
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