President Biden announces pardon of all prior Federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana, asks states to follow

Boston, MA/Washington, D.C. – President Biden has announced three steps he says he plans on taking concerning marijuana.

In a statement released by the White House, Biden stated that “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. 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.”

Biden’s first step is to pardon all prior Federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana.

“I have directed the Attorney General to develop an administrative process for the issuance of certificates of pardon to eligible individuals. There are thousands of people who have prior Federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.”

Biden also urged all Governors to pardon state offenses and asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.

“Federal law currently classifies marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification meant for the most dangerous substances. This is the same schedule as for heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine – the drugs that are driving our overdose epidemic.”

Biden concluded by stating that even as federal and state regulation of marijuana changes, important limitations on trafficking, marketing, and under-age sales should stay in place.

“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”