(Washington Insider Magazine)- President Joe Biden made good on a promise he made during the 2020 campaign to work to decriminalize marijuana a little over a month before the midterm elections by announcing on Thursday that he is pardoning all Americans who have been convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law.
According to top administration officials, the executive order will help thousands of individuals prosecuted under the criminal code of the District of Columbia as well as 6,500 individuals with federal offenses from 1992 to 2021. Officials went on to say that there aren’t any people incarcerated in federal facilities right now for nothing more than marijuana possession.
According to ABC NEWS, his conduct ahead of the important midterm elections, in which Democrats are battling to keep control of the House and the Senate, might be interpreted as an effort to motivate voters, particularly younger people.
Biden has made it clear that “our marijuana laws are not working,” administration officials only responded when questioned about the timing of the unilateral move.
For those with state convictions, who administration officials claim to make up the vast majority of convictions for possession-related offenses, Biden said on Thursday that he is pushing governors to take the same action.
Additionally, he is urging the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, to swiftly reconsider marijuana’s federal schedules. According to the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is now listed as a “Schedule 1” substance with heroin, LSD, and ecstasy, which according to Biden on Thursday “makes no sense.”
Since the results of previous elections have indicated that Americans’ sentiments about legalization have shifted, Biden has come under pressure from inside his own party to act more forcefully.
Only four states adopted ballot initiatives to decriminalize the selling and possession of cannabis for adult use during the 2020 election cycle. According to FiveThirtyEight research, the majority of people in each of the 50 states who are registered to vote support legalizing marijuana.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont signed a letter to Biden, Becerra, and Garland this summer requesting them to deschedule cannabis and pardon everyone convicted of nonviolent cannabis-related charges.
While slower to support marijuana legalization than most of his Democratic peers, Biden pledged to legalize cannabis use and expunge previous convictions during the 2020 campaign.
The long-awaited marijuana legalization plan from Senate Democrats, which would abolish the federal ban and give states the power to decide how to regulate marijuana, was also eventually unveiled this year. The Senate leadership has not yet started when the bill would be put up for a vote, so it faces an uphill struggle in the 50-50 chamber where Ten Republicans would need to back it.
Republican Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson alleged that Biden’s action was made to gain political advantage.
In the meantime, advocacy groups are pleased with the news.
The Drug Policy Alliance hailed Biden’s move as “incredibly long overdue” and expressed its “thrill” at it.
