President Biden has been a longtime critic of marijuana. In the past he has spoken out against legalization or any softening of penalties. But President Biden is also known as someone who can evolve on an issue. It appears that he has concerning marijuana.
While most don’t expect Biden to be smoking up at one of Dead & Company’s concerts on their final tour next spring/summer, his evolution is very welcome to many.
Today, President Biden released a series of tweets on the issue that one might think is an April Fool’s joke knowing his past stances. But after checking the calendar and the source of the information, what Biden is proposing is the most movement the Federal Government has ever made on the issue.
Here’s what Biden released today via his Twitter account:
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
Then, as promised, he did just that:
First: I’m pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession. There are thousands of people who were previously convicted of simple possession who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My pardon will remove this burden.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2022
Second: I’m calling on governors to pardon simple state marijuana possession offenses. Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely for possessing marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2022
I’d also like to note that as federal and state regulations change, we still need important limitations on trafficking, marketing, and underage sales of marijuana.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2022
Sending people to jail for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives – for conduct that is legal in many states. That’s before you address the clear racial disparities around prosecution and conviction. Today, we begin to right these wrongs.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2022
Biden began strong with a full federal pardon for any federal possession charges. On top of that, he is encouraging every governor who hasn’t done this previously (some states have) to do the same.
In addition to that, the POTUS asked the Attorney General along with his cabinet secretary to begin the process to get marijuana off of its current “schedule I” classification. Being a “schedule 1” substance has given some politicians cover in refusing to move forward on the issue. It is also, as Biden noted, ridiculous. Being on “schedule I” basically means that marijuana has no medicinal value. We know it does. What that value is exactly can be debated but patients all over the country and the world know that there are benefits including pain management and control over diseases like epilepsy, extreme anxiety and many, many others.
Perhaps most importantly, President Biden is admitting what many already know. Including marijuana in any “drug war” and classifying it just like heroin and other dangerous drugs has most definitely been “a failed approach.” That approach has done nothing but wreck otherwise good lives, inhibit research to find more medicinal and pragmatic uses for the plant, and lined the pockets of gangs, mafia types, and cartels.
Some might complain that he “hasn’t done enough.” The problem with that argument is that Biden really can’t do much more without lawmakers changing laws. For that, voters will need to consider whether they want to vote for candidates who still subscribe to myths and failed policies around marijuana or if they want legislators who see a new and better path.
