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Biden pardons marijuana offenses, calls for review of federal law

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Biden pardons marijuana offenses, calls for review of federal law

Well, it's about time. Way past time.

President Joe Biden on Thursday granted a pardon to all people convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law, in what amounts to the most extensive White House action taken to date on U.S. drug policy.

The president also urged governors to take similar action for state offenses of civil possession of marijuana. In addition, he called on the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to “expeditiously” review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. Currently, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I narcotic, meaning it’s deemed to have no medical use and a high potential for abuse. Heroin and LSD are other Schedule I drugs.

“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit,” Biden said in a statement. “Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. And 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.”

The president added that regulations that limit the trafficking, marketing and sales to minors shouldn’t change but that states should follow the administration’s lead because the vast majority of people incarcerated for marijuana possession in the U.S. are convicted under state or local laws.

“The President has been clear that marijuana laws are not working,” said a senior administration official. “The president has been considering his options and he is now taking executive action.”

The move, pushed for by advocates for months,

Months? Try decades.

brings marijuana policy to the fore just weeks before the midterm elections, underscoring just how much the politics of the issue have changed in a short period of time. Polling consistently shows that roughly two-thirds of Americans support marijuana legalization. But the practical impact, at least immediately, may be limited. Most people in federal prison for cannabis offenses are not in prison for minor, nonviolent offenses — so the number of individuals affected by this order will be in the thousands, according to the White House.

The move, nevertheless, is remarkable for Biden, a 79-year-old president who had written some of the tough-on-crime drug laws that advocates note led to current incarceration rates. Biden was the only Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 who did not support federal descheduling, which would essentially make marijuana legal at the federal level. The administration had also said Biden wants to reschedule cannabis to a Schedule II drug — which would make it easier to study — legalize medical marijuana and decriminalize minor possession. All of these positions legally conflicted with each other.

Currently, 37 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and 19 states have legal adult-use marijuana. Five states are voting on recreational cannabis legalization in the 2022 midterms: Missouri, Arkansas, North and South Dakota, and Maryland.

Earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced a bill to deschedule cannabis and expunge some federal records. However, that bill does not currently have the votes in the Senate to pass. A House bill, introduced by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), would set aside grant funding for states that want to expunge cannabis-related records.

If they can get it passed before the midterms, it'll probably help the Democrats, since 2/3 of Americans want marijuana to be legalized, according to the polls cited in the article.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
If they can get it passed before the midterms, it'll probably help the Democrats, since 2/3 of Americans want marijuana to be legalized, according to the polls cited in the article.
That general pardon is going to help Biden, and he's going to be remembered in History for that.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
Biden pardons marijuana offenses, calls for review of federal law

Well, it's about time. Way past time.









Months? Try decades.



If they can get it passed before the midterms, it'll probably help the Democrats, since 2/3 of Americans want marijuana to be legalized, according to the polls cited in the article.
I have called for legalization a thousand time - but nobody listens to me.
And I have called for going to the root of the criminalization - the Single Convention. It is rarely mentioned, some don't even know about it but it is the single reason drug laws are so hard to cancel.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I wanna see Biden giving the state of the union address while taking hits from a bong between sentences.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
I will never understand why religionists are so suspicious of pleasure,
Both alcohol and weed have really varying effects on people. Personally, I can't do either without real negative consequences, but obviously many folks can. I don't see much difference between enjoying a round of golf with friends versus a day at the beach or at home getting stoned and listening to music. Good on Biden.

I find it also interesting that many of the most outspoken critics of weed have never ever tried it. They're still stuck on the propaganda against it, which also says a lot about the power of propaganda.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Oh, that's simple. Happy people have no use for gods. Look around. The least religious countries are also the happiest. Religion is only strong in the most miserable.
Well, that's a massive generalisation, but I do get the point.
 

TransmutingSoul

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I find it also interesting that many of the most outspoken critics of weed have never ever tried it. They're still stuck on the propaganda against it, which also says a lot about the power of propaganda.

What a loaf of Twaddle.

I have seen the results of this pernicious drug with recreational use, and either the deadening of the intelligence, or the schizophrenia results.

It has great benefits when using the medicinal product and this is a bonus for this plant.

Regards Tony
 

crossfire

LHP Mercuræn Feminist Heretic ☿
Premium Member
Maybe it will help all of the opioid addicts make it through rehab. (Or help to prevent someone from getting hooked on opioids in the first place.)
 
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