Biden pardons thousands convicted of certain marijuana charges
- Marijuana possession is decriminalized or legal in multiple states
- Biden to pardon thousands convicted for use, possession under federal law
- Regulators are studying making marijuana a less-regulated Schedule III drug
FILE – A demonstrator waves a flag with marijuana leaves depicted on it during a protest calling for the legalization of marijuana, outside of the White House on April 2, 2016, in Washington. President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of people who were convicted of use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia. The White House says his action Friday is his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice system. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
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(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana use and simple possession under federal and D.C. law, the White House announced Friday.
“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in a statement. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
The president is also commuting sentences for 11 people serving what he called “disproportionately long sentences” for non-violent drug offenses. Had those 11 been charged with the same offenses today, Biden said, they would have been eligible for “significantly lower sentences.”
This expands on a similar move Biden made in October 2022, where he made thousands convicted of simple possession on federal lands eligible for pardons. What Friday’s action does is add more criminal offenses to those eligible for a pardon, so additional people can have their convictions expunged.
Biden urged governors to do the same in their own states.
“Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden said.
Applications for pardons can be submitted to the Department of Justice’s pardon attorney office.
Marijuana has been decriminalized or even legalized in a number of states, although it is still a controlled substance under federal law.
U.S. regulators are considering reclassifying cannabis from a “Schedule I,” drug, a category that classifies it as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III,” the Associated Press reports.
In April 2022, Biden pardoned three people convicted of nonviolent crimes, and commuted sentences for 75 individuals convicted of nonviolent drug crimes, according to NewsNation partner The Hill. Then, at the end of the year, Biden pardoned six more people who served sentences for drug or alcohol-related crimes and a woman convicted of second-degree murder while in an abusive relationship.
“While today’s announcement marks important progress, my administration will continue to review clemency petitions and deliver reforms that advance equal justice, address racial disparities, strengthen public safety, and enhance the wellbeing of all Americans,” Biden said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.