President Biden Issues Blanket Pardon For ‘Simple Possession’ of Marijuana
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Joe Biden issued an early Christmas present to thousands of Americans convicted for possessing marijuana for personal use.
The legal term is “simple possession,” which means the user has a small amount of marijuana with no intent to sell.
In a statement, Biden said he issued the blanket pardon because “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.”
“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs,” he said.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) thanked Biden for eliminating what he called “bullshit weed charges.”
“A few Christmases ago, as Lieutenant Governor, I pushed for legal weed and delivering pardons for bullshit weed charges. As a Senate candidate, I personally asked @POTUS to de-schedule cannabis and pardon those charges. This Christmas, as a Senator, THANK YOU @POTUS
Biden issued the proclamation Friday that covers “thousands of Americans” convicted under federal law, according to the Associated Press. It also covers “thousands convicted of the crime in the District of Columbia.”
No one is currently in federal prison solely for “simple possession,” but the White House said the pardon “could help thousands overcome obstacles to renting a home or finding a job.”
“My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions,” Biden’s statement said.
The AP reported:
The pardon does not cover convictions for possession of other drugs, or for charges relating to producing or possessing marijuana with an intent to distribute. Biden is also not pardoning non-citizens who were in the U.S. without legal status at the time of their arrest.
The announcement marks Biden’s reckoning with the impact of 1994 crime legislation, which he supported, that increased arrest and incarceration rates for drug crimes, particularly for Black and Latino people.
The president also called on state governors to issue similar pardons “for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which reflect the vast majority of marijuana possession cases.”
Read the text of the proclamation here and the AP story here.
