Is Your Pot Smoking History Holding Your Job Prospects Back?

If you were ever convicted of unlawful possession of marijuana, you can now easily get your record expunged and then, records about your arrest, prosecution, and criminal history will be destroyed.

Persons eligible to apply for the destruction of expunged marijuana (a/k/a, marihuana) convictions records are: 

• Persons convicted of Penal Law 221.10: “A person is guilty of unlawful possession of marihuana in the first degree when he knowingly and unlawfully possesses one or more preparations, compounds, mixtures or substances containing marihuana and the preparations, compounds, mixtures or substances are of an aggregate weight of more than one ounce.”
• Persons convicted of Penal Law Section 221.05: “[a] person is guilty of unlawful possession of marihuana in the second degree when he knowingly and unlawfully possesses marihuana.”

Persons adjudicated as Youthful Offenders are not eligible for expungement and destruction because such adjudication is not considered a conviction.

The following records will be destroyed:

• Arrest records;
• Prosecution records;
• Criminal history records;
• Any dismissal of your case; and
• Any expungement of your conviction.

It is important to note that only convictions of Penal Law 221.10 and 221.05 may be expunged and the destruction of records does not include any other conviction for any other felony or misdemeanor concerning the drug.

If you are interested in getting your marijuana conviction expunged and records destroyed, you should complete an Application to Destroy Expunged Marihuana Conviction Record and file it with the court where you were convicted. There is no application filing fee and you may file multiple applications if you were convicted in multiple courts.