United States (US) President Joe Biden has announced a pardon for all Americans convicted of marijuana possession under federal law on Thursday, fulfilling a long-standing demand of supporters just a month before midterm congressional elections.
“I am announcing a pardon of all prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana,” Biden said in a statement issued both in writing and by video message. He also urged governors to extend the clemency to the far bigger number of people who have run afoul of state laws criminalizing marijuana possession.
“As I often said during my campaign for president, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit,” Biden said.
He noted that marijuana convictions disproportionately affect non-white people, which, in addition to sometimes resulting in jail time, can result in years of legal ramifications, making it difficult to get work and an education.
According to officials, convictions under federal marijuana laws directly affect only about 6,500 people. Biden’s gesture, on the other hand, aims to go much further, encouraging state authorities to follow suit and considering reclassifying marijuana as a less serious controlled substance.
“I am urging all governors to do the same with regard to state offenses. Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden said.
The third measure announced was instructing federal health and justice officials to “review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.”
