Montana courts saw 135 expungement petitions statewide in 2020, all types and not only cannabis, and officials said filings were below expectations, the Montana State News Bureau reported in January 2022. A Flathead County man's 2002 felony for growing eight plants was not cleared after the district court denied it and the state Supreme Court affirmed.
A Yellowstone County 1992 plea involving more than 60 grams was denied because the charge remains a felony. In Richland County, Paul Hagler pleaded guilty in 2015 to possessing 60 grams or less and was sentenced to five years; the Supreme Court granted his petition after the state conceded he should be released immediately. The article does not confirm his actual release.
Why it matters: Montana's expungement route leaves out older felonies, and a five-year term for 60 grams or less took a Supreme Court petition to undo.
Source: Explore Big Sky (reporting by Seaborn Larson, Montana State News Bureau), 2022-01-04. Forgotten Prisoner's account is based on this reporting.