Biden pardons additional marijuana offenses
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President Biden speaks at an economic event in Milwaukee, Wis., on Dec. 20. Photo: Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Biden on Friday issued a proclamation pardoning those convicted of "additional offenses" related to marijuana possession and use under federal and D.C. law.
Why it matters: The announcement builds on similar action Biden took last year to pardon thousands convicted of federal offenses of simple marijuana possession. The president campaigned on a promise to use clemency for non-violent and drug crimes.
- Friday's proclamation pardons thousands of people with federal and D.C. convictions related to additional categories of marijuana offenses.
What he's saying: "Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs," Biden said in the statement.
- He added that he has "exercised my clemency power more than any recent predecessor has at this point in their presidency."
The big picture: The president on Friday also commuted the sentences of 11 people serving "disproportionately long sentences for non-violent drug offenses."
- Four of the men named were serving life sentences related to cocaine distribution.
- "All of them would have been eligible to receive significantly lower sentences if they were charged with the same offense today," Biden said.
Context: While Biden has stopped short of endorsing efforts to legalize marijuana at the federal level — except for medical use — he pledged support for decriminalization during his 2020 campaign.
- In 2022, he directed the Department of Health and Human Services to study reclassifying the drug from Schedule I (alongside heroin) to Schedule III.
- The department recommended making the change earlier this year, though the Drug Enforcement Administration now has the final say, Marijuana Moment reports.
- Several Democratic governors this month urged the U.S. to move forward with reclassification by the end of 2023.
Zoom out: Many Democrats and advocates have long pushed for legalization of marijuana. The ACLU, for example, has argued that criminalization has fueled mass incarceration and has disproportionately affected people of color.
- The House voted in 2022 to decriminalize cannabis on the federal level and allow for the expungement of some marijuana convictions.
- Legalization efforts have stalled in the Senate, however, despite support from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
What we're watching: According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 24 states, two territories and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use.
- A record 70% of Americans, including majorities in all political groups, support marijuana legalization according to a November Gallup poll.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the number of people the proclamation pardons.
