Subhojeet Mukherjee on October 6, 2022
Joe Biden has been the President of the United States since January of last year. People were glad when he took over at first, but things have not been going smoothly for him. Now, he is making a big declaration.
According to CNN, Joe Biden is taking his first major steps toward decriminalizing marijuana, fulfilling a campaign pledge to erase prior federal possession convictions and beginning the process of loosening federal classification of the drug.
On Thursday, Biden said he will be pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession, a move that senior administration officials said would affect many Americans.
“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. 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.
No one should be in jail because of marijuana. As President, I will decriminalize cannabis use and automatically expunge prior convictions.”
Marijuana is illegal under federal law, even as individual states have moved toward legal use for recreational and medical purposes. Under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is listed on Schedule 1, meaning it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” This is a great move by Biden and many people will agree with this.
October 6, 2022 3:52 pm
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