President Biden to pardon federal marijuana prisoners and start rescheduling process
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In an announcement that took the world by surprise, President Biden this afternoon declared that he would pardon all federal prisoners who are currently locked up for simple marijuana possession offenses.
“There are thousands of people who were previously convicted of simple possession who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result,” Biden wrote. “My pardon will remove this burden.”
Biden also announced that he has directed US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to start the process of rescheduling marijuana under federal law.
“We classify marijuana at the same level as heroin—and more serious than fentanyl,” Biden wrote. “It makes no sense.”
Biden’s announcement marks one of the most sweeping actions ever taken by a president regarding cannabis.
The move does not, of course, immediately legalize marijuana. Biden’s move only starts a process that could result in the reclassification or removal of cannabis from the federal drug schedule.
Leafly will continue to update this story throughout the day.
Bruce Barcott and Calvin Stovall
Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.
Calvin Stovall is Leafly’s East Coast Editor. He writes and produces media in Atlanta, GA and runs day-to-day operations for The Artistic Unified Exchange, a nonprofit that protects intellectual property on behalf of independent artists and underserved communities.
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