President Joe Biden has been able to get a pardon of all previous federal offenses related to simple possession of marijuana.
There are thousands of people who have previous federal convictions for marijuana possession who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Biden said that his actions will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.
Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states don't allow. Criminal records for marijuana possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. He said that while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted at disproportionate rates.
The administration officials said the pardon could benefit around 6,500 people, according to the Hill.
Biden said it was time that we correct these wrongs.
He continued to urge all governors to do the same with regard to state offenses, saying that just as no one should not be in a federal prison for the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason. The president called on the secretary of health and human services and the attorney general to begin the administrative process to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.
Marijuana is currently classified in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act under federal law. The classification of weed and methamphetamine is because of the high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. This classification puts marijuana in the same schedule as for heroin and LSD and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine, two drugs that are fueling the ongoing overdose epidemic across the country.