On Thursday, Oct. 6, more than 6,500 federal offenders who had previously been convicted of simple marijuana possession could breathe a sigh of relief after receiving a pardon from President Joe Biden. The pardon also applied to those charged in the District of Columbia.

Biden penned a statement regarding marijuana reform, in which he describes a multistep plan to change the perception and treatment of the substance in the eyes of the law.

POTUS announced the new statement on Twitter.

“As I’ve said before, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Today, I’m taking steps to end our failed approach. Allow me to lay them out,” he tweeted via his official account.

The statement continued, “First: I’m pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession. There are thousands of people who were previously convicted of simple possession who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My pardon will remove this burden.”

The president then called on local officials to do the same on a state level.

“Second: I’m calling on governors to pardon simple state marijuana possession offenses,” POTUS said. “Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely for possessing marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.”

The president then criticized the current classification of marijuana, as it is compared to more deadly drugs.

“Third: We classify marijuana at the same level as heroin – and more serious than fentanyl. It makes no sense,” wrote the president. “I’m asking [Secretary of Health and Human Services  Xavier Becerra] and the Attorney General to initiate the process of reviewing how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.”

Marijuana is currently classified in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification meant for the most dangerous substances, which is the same category heroin and LSD are in. And it’s in a higher class than fentanyl and methamphetamine, two substances which have established the raging opioid crisis in the country.

Like many, Biden agrees that the country’s “failed approach” to marijuana has “upended too many lives” and has incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. In his statement, he acknowledges that many of those who are affected the most are Black and brown.

“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,” he stated in the White House press briefing.

Reactions to Biden's decision poured in:

Reactions to Biden’s executive action have already began pouring in.

“We applaud President Biden for taking these transformative steps to right the historic injustices of the failed War on Drugs by reforming our approach to marijuana criminalization. Possession of marijuana has upended far too many lives and incarcerated Black people at an alarmingly disproportionate rate for activities that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed insurmountable barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities for countless Black and brown Americans.” — Joyce Beatty, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus   

 

“The United States will never justly legalize marijuana until it reckons with the outdated policies that equated thousands of young Black men with hardened drug pushers. President Biden’s righteous action today will give countless Americans their lives back. They were thrown behind bars for years on end for simple possession, a non-violent offense, for a substance that red states and blue states are now legalizing at a furious clip. This held them back from jobs, homes, and the general dignity they now get back with this full pardon. The National Action Network began pushing for these reforms nearly a decade ago, when it became clear the conversation around legalization began to change. We will continue to monitor the legalization and hold the federal government to its word. I echo the President’s call on governors to follow suit and deliver this same justice at the state level. They cannot legalize marijuana at the state house until they rectify what went on at the jail house.”  — Rev. Al Sharpton

“We are thrilled to see President Biden holding true to his commitment to pardon every person with simple marijuana possession charges at the federal level, including people in D.C. And we are further encouraged by his efforts to get Governors to take similar actions at the state level. This is incredibly long overdue. There is no reason that people should be saddled with a criminal record—preventing them from obtaining employment, housing, and countless other opportunities—for something that is already legal in 19 states and D.C. and decriminalized in 31 states.

We, however, hope that the Biden Administration will go further and fully deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), rather than initiate a process that could lead to rescheduling. Keeping marijuana on the federal drug schedule will mean people will continue to face criminal charges for marijuana. It also means that research will continue to be inhibited and state-level markets will be at odds with federal law. We urge the President to support the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, introduced in the Senate earlier this year, which would fully remove marijuana from the CSA, provide expungement and resentencing for past marijuana convictions beyond simple possession, and comprehensively repair the harms of marijuana criminalization.” — Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance

BidenBiden-AdministrationmarijuanaMarijuana-LegalizationPOLITICS