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 said Friday – his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice system.
The US president is also granting clemency to 11 people serving what the White House called “disproportionately long” sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.
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“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
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[N]o federal prisoners are eligible for release as a result of Friday’s action [...] but the pardons were meant to help thousands overcome obstacles to renting a home or finding a job.
Guardian
Maybe some blue states at least will follow suit.
Biden’s order applies only to marijuana, which has been decriminalized or legalized in many states for some or all uses, but remains a controlled substance under federal law.
US regulators are studying reclassifying the drug from the category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse”, known as “schedule I”, to the less tightly regulated “schedule III”.
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