What you need to know about expunging low-level marijuana convictions – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

Possessing 1.5 ounces of marijuana and less has been a petty misdemeanor in Minnesota since the 1970s. 

The penalty is up to a $300 fee. But that doesn’t mean getting convicted of a low-level marijuana offense is the equivalent of paying off a parking ticket, which is also a petty misdemeanor. 

Marijuana convictions in Minnesota stay on people’s records forever. Employers, landlords, and housing authorities can legally use the convictions as a reason to deny someone employment or housing. 

“Some places have a zero-tolerance policy for all drug offenses,” said Jon Geffen, a Minneapolis defense attorney who helps people remove marijuana offenses from their legal records. “You find a nice place for you and your two kids and your wife, and then they say, ‘Your wife and kids can move in—you can’t.’ That happens in public housing a fair amount.”