Skip to content

Friday, Dec. 1, 2023

Has Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued pardons to 1,111 people with cannabis convictions?


no

As of Nov. 29, 2023, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers had issued 1,111 pardons to people convicted of all crimes, not just cannabis convictions.

Evers’ announcement cited what the recipients did “to overcome their past mistakes and build positive, rewarding lives.”

A pardon is an official act of forgiveness for a criminal offense. It restores civil rights such as the right to hold office, possess firearms and hold certain licenses.

A pardon does not remove a conviction from public records.

The governor’s office said it does not have a database showing how many pardons were for marijuana convictions.

Evers’ latest pardons announcement, Nov. 22, listed pardons for 82 people, including 28 for a marijuana conviction, mostly possession.

The 96 pardons announced July 21 included 38 cannabis convictions.

That announcement said Evers had broken the record for pardons issued by a Wisconsin governor — Julius Heil’s 943 pardons between 1939 and 1943.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.