On Thursday evening, an expungement resource fair is being held in Grand Rapids, Michigan with the goal of helping nonviolent cannabis offenders clear their records.
Pharmhouse Wellness, along with The Redemption Foundation and Great Lakes Expungement Network will work with those interested in cleaning their record of nonviolent cannabis crimes to gain better access to opportunities that may not be there otherwise. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. those in need can access lawyers and others who can help start this process.
Removing the Lifelong Stigma Caused by Cannabis Prohibition
“Having a cannabis manufacturing charge on my record and then a misdemeanor possession charge is a little bit ironic now because I’m the owner of a retail shop that does this legally,” Casey Kornoelje, founder and CEO of Pharmhouse Wellness said.
Kornoelje faced a felony charge for manufacturing narcotics in Grand Rapids in 2001.
"That felony charge, it stuck with me throughout my life," Kornoelje told Metro Times. "I did go to college and tried to get into a corporate America job, but I had a hell of a time, experiencing wage discrimination, hiring discrimination, on the job counseling and reprimanding, basically for that track record."
Kornoelje and Redemption Foundation board member Chris Silva told WOOD TV8 Live Desk why they got involved in the expungement fair and why stories like Kornoelje’s are important.
“The Great Lakes Expungement network is a nonprofit whose sole mission is to help people pursue expungements that they qualify for, and you can get those executed 100% fee-free,” Silva said.
A criminal record, and even an arrest record, carries collateral consequences, making it more difficult to get a job, housing and a college education. At the moment over thirty states and D.C. no longer treat cannabis possession as a criminal offense. "Therefore, it unjust for individuals to suffer the collateral consequences of something that is no longer a crime," says the Marijuana Policy Project.
Expungement is also part of a larger move toward criminal justice reform.
Kornoelje said the cannabis community was built and formed by people willing to step out on a limb to help, and he’s fortunate to have groups like those involved in this resource fair to assist others to clear records.
“To be able to take some of the negatives that I experienced for so many years of my life and then to take these small steps to turn those into positives and help people to clean their records and have a cleaner opportunity going forward, it means a lot,” Kornoelje said.
Pharmhouse Wellness is located at 831 Wealthy St. SW Grand Rapids, MI 49504.
