President Joe Biden has pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of simple marijuana possession crimes at the federal level, and said his administration would be taking steps to decriminalize the drug.
“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs,” Biden said in a video announcing the action.
The pardons will be limited to around 6,500 individuals who have been convicted of federal possession-related cannabis crimes between 1992 and 2001, as most convictions relating to the drug are at the state level. Biden encouraged U.S. governors to take similar action to pardon residents in their states who have been convicted of crimes relating to cannabis possession.
hough the move will only affect a small portion of the people incarcerated for cannabis-related crimes, Biden said the pardons will have a significant impact.
“There are thousands of people who were convicted for marijuana possession who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result,” Biden said. “My pardon will remove this burden on them.”
Biden also said he will be ordering his administration to take additional steps to decriminalize the drug. Currently, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug, the same classification as heroin — an idea that “makes no sense,” the president said.
His announcement acknowledged the racial disparities in the enforcement of marijuana-related crimes. “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,” Biden noted.
