Outgoing Pennsylvania Gov. Issued 627 Cannabis Related Pardons During Time in Office

Outgoing Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in his final week in office issued 369 pardons, bringing his total while in office to 2,540 – which is a new record for pardons issued by a governor in state history. Of those pardons, 627 were for cannabis-related crimes; of those, 395 were part of the expedited review process for nonviolent cannabis offenses and 232 were part of the PA Marijuana Pardon Project. 

“I have taken this process very seriously – reviewing and giving careful thought to each and every one of these 2,540 pardons and the lives they will impact. Every single one of the Pennsylvanians who made it through the process truly deserves their second chance, and it’s been my honor to grant it. A record prevents positive forward motion in a person’s life, and can spark a repetitive cycle of defeat. I firmly believe that with restored rights, pardoned Pennsylvanians prove themselves by stepping up and giving back to our communities.” — Wolf in a press release   

A 2020 report by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia analyzing a decade of pardons data found that pardons contributed $16.5 million to Pennsylvania’s economy over the past decade, at no cost to anyone, the governor’s office said. 

Wolf served two terms as governor, the maximum consecutive terms allowed under state law. Democrat Josh Shapiro took office on January 17. 

The PA Marijuana Pardon Project was launched in 2022, spearheaded by then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who was elected to the U.S. Senate last November.