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In a surprise move just a month before midterm elections, the President announced on Thursday that he’s taking considerable steps to overhaul America’s cannabis laws.
On Thursday, President Biden took steps to overhaul US policy on marijuana by pardoning thousands of people with federal offenses for simple cannabis possession.
Initiating a review of how the drug is classified, he hopes that his executive action will relieve the ‘collateral’ consequences of prior convictions. In short, it will give anyone being denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities a second chance.
‘Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,’ he said, urging governors to follow his lead. ‘That’s before you address the clear racial disparities around prosecution and conviction. Today, we begin to right these wrongs.’
To date, almost 40 American states have legalised marijuana in some form.
Yet it remains completely illegal in others at the federal level. It is a Schedule I controlled substance meaning it has ‘no accepted medical use’ and a ‘high potential for abuse.’
Re-examining whether cannabis should still be in the same category as heroin would set in motion wider legalisation – a move backed by a majority of US citizens – and usher in sweeping changes for racial imbalances in the country’s justice system.
According to The New York Times, the pardons will clear everyone convicted (around 6,500 people) since it became a crime in the 1970s, excluding anyone involved in its distribution.
As the White House itself has noted, this eligibility for the relief is limited in scope given that close to 29 million Americans have been arrested for cannabis-related violations since 1965.
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
However, due to Biden’s additional efforts to mitigate the perceived harms of marijuana prohibition, the surprise decision has been welcomed by many.
Particularly those who have been calling on the US government to regulate cannabis the same way as alcohol or tobacco for several decades now.
‘Without de-scheduling, people are going to keep facing criminal charges and be denied federal benefits; marijuana research will continue to face hindrances; veterans won’t be able to access medical cannabis programmes; and entrepreneurs and businesses will not have access to funding,’ says Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance.
‘We’ve been waiting for some action around cannabis reform federally, so we welcome the opportunity to use it for a much broader conversation about reform.’
