Biden Pardons All Individual Federal Marijuana Possession Crimes in Important First Steps Toward Decriminalization
President Joe Biden is taking his first big steps toward decriminalizing marijuana, fulfilling a campaign promise to overturn previous federal convictions for possession.
Biden pardoned all previous federal marijuana possession offenses thursday, a move senior administration officials say would affect thousands of Americans charged with the crime.
The announcement comes a month before the critical November election that will determine control of Congress. Some candidates, including Pennsylvania Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat for his state, have put the issue of marijuana legalization at the center of election campaigns. The.
Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. Hear from @POTUS on the three steps he is taking to right these wrongs. pic.twitter.com/IqOxHxjgue
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 6, 2022
The president will ask the Department of Health and Human Services and Attorney General Merrick Garland to review "immediately" how marijuana is classified in federal law, the first step in potentially relaxing a federal classification that currently places marijuana in the same category as heroin and LSD.
"No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana," Biden said in a video announcing his legal action. "It's legal in many states, and criminal records for marijuana possession have created unnecessary barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities. And that's before addressing racial disparities around victims."
The measures Biden announced Thursday fall short of full decriminalization, which has received growing support from both political parties. But these are the first significant steps a U.S. president takes to lift criminal penalties for marijuana possession.
Senior government officials declined to say how quickly the review could be completed, which would lead to further steps toward decriminalization.
"The process will take some time as it must be based on careful consideration of all available evidence, including available scientific and medical information," a senior official said.
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