President Biden Pardons All Federal Convictions for Simple Cannabis Possession
by Ben Taub
October 7, 2022
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/president-b ... ion-65651(IFL Science) US President Joe Biden has announced a pardon for all individuals previously convicted of simple cannabis possession under federal law. While this doesn’t amount to legalization or decriminalization of cannabis in the US, the measure is likely to result in the expungement of around 6,500 criminal records.
“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit,” said the President in a statement. “Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities.”
For the record, the federal government very rarely prosecutes or incarcerates people for simple cannabis possession, and virtually all individuals currently in prison for this offense have been convicted by state laws. Federal pardons are therefore unlikely to directly result in anyone being released from jail, but will help thousands of people obtain jobs, accommodation, and other benefits.
Biden has called on all states to follow his lead and pardon all minor cannabis offenses within their jurisdiction. “I am urging all Governors to do the same with regard to state offenses,” he said. “Just as no one should be in a Federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.”
Currently, recreational cannabis is fully legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia, while medical cannabis is permitted in 37 states. However, many legal states have been slow to expunge the records of those with prior convictions, and the fact that cannabis remains illegal at the federal level means that people can still be prosecuted for possessing the drug anywhere in the US.