President Joe Biden has expanded last year’s federal pardons, granting clemency to thousands convicted of simple cannabis use and possession on federal lands and in Washington D.C. Additionally, 11 individuals serving “disproportionately long” sentences for nonviolent drug offenses received clemency.
While these pardons symbolize a shift in the federal government’s approach to cannabis convictions, they will not result in the release of current prisoners with cannabis-related sentences. Instead, the primary goal is to prevent past cannabis convictions from hindering individuals’ job-seeking and housing efforts.
The president emphasized that these pardons aim to make the “promise of equal justice a reality,” recognizing the unnecessary barriers that criminal records for cannabis use and possession pose to employment, housing, and education.
President Biden further urged U.S. governors to nullify state cannabis convictions, aligning with his stance that no one should be incarcerated at any level solely for cannabis use or possession. Despite the ongoing federal prohibition of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, efforts are underway to reconsider its classification, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommending a move from Schedule I to Schedule III.
