US President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that he will grant pardons to those convicted at the federal level for marijuana possession. In a nod to easing tight drug control, Biden said he was taking steps to end what he called a “failed approach.”
“There are thousands of people who were previously convicted of simple tenure and who may have been denied employment, housing or educational opportunities as a result. My pardon will remove this burden,” the president said 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.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2022
In addition to the federal level, Biden urged governors to pardon simple state misdemeanors for marijuana possession. “Just as no one should be in a federal prison just for possessing marijuana, no one should be in a local or state prison for that reason either,” the Democrat said.
Biden criticized the way marijuana is placed on the same footing as drugs like fentanyl and heroin, saying it “doesn’t make sense”. He also noted “clear racial disparities” around the dynamics of charges and convictions involving marijuana. “Today, we begin to correct those errors.”
Of the 50 American states, 18 allow the medicinal use of the plant. Another 20 states allow recreational use of marijuana in addition to medical use. In total, 38 states in the country have some regulation for different types of marijuana use.
Source: CNN Brasil
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