On Thursday afternoon, President Biden made a major announcement that is expected to lift convictions for as many as 6,500 people.
He announced on Twitter that he will be signing a presidential pardon for all people charged with federal crimes relating to possession of marijuana.
He also suggested that Governor’s pardon people who have been convicted of state crimes relating to possession of Marijuana and suggested that he would move marijuana down from being a Schedule One drug, which is currently the most severe classification that a narcotic can have.
Some people have already suggested that Biden will not follow through on the pardons and is just using it as a political stunt to shore up votes before the midterm elections, with one person saying that it is a ‘midterm promise that will be broken on November 9th’.
https://twitter.com/banthefox40/status/1578108760983158785
Yahoo News Reports–
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 Archived (@POTUS46Archive) October 6, 2022
President Biden announced Thursday that he will pardon all individuals convicted on federal charges of simple marijuana possession, a move that the White House estimated would affect more than 6,500 people.
The pardons, which many Democratic activists have been calling for, are Biden’s most significant action to date in reforming America’s drug laws. They are also a clear effort to boost turnout in next month’s midterm election, which will decide whether the president’s party can hold onto control of Congress.
Asked about the timing of the announcement, which comes 32 days ahead of the election, an administration official who briefed reporters on the plan said that Biden was looking to fulfill a campaign promise after Congress failed to take any action.
“As I said when I ran for President, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said in a series of tweets laying out the plan.
