"No One Should Be In Jail For Possessing Marijuana": Biden

US President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of marijuana possession Thursday in a major new step towards destigmatizing the drug -- and fulfilling a promise to his supporters a...

US President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of marijuana possession Thursday in a major new step toward removing the drug's stigma — and fulfilling a promise to his supporters a month before the midterm elections.

"I am pardoning all prior federal offenses of simply possessing marijuana," Biden said.

Biden has not called for the complete decriminalization of cannabis, saying that "restrictions on the trafficking, marketing and sales of minors should remain in place."

Instead, he made individual possession of a substance that government health authorities estimate was used by at least 18 percent of the population in 2019 -

which have already been allowed by many state governments for recreational or medical purposes.

In addition to the pardon, Biden has instructed the Departments of Justice and Health to determine whether cannabis should be reclassified as a less dangerous substance.

Officials told reporters that about 6,

500 people are directly affected by convictions under federal marijuana laws.

The amnesty system will include thousands of other convicts under laws in the federal capital, Washington.

However, Biden's gesture is intended to take the shift much further, and put pressure on state authorities everywhere to follow suit.

“I urge all governors to do the same with regard to state crimes.

Just as no one should be in a federal prison for only marijuana possession, no one should be in a local or state prison for that reason, either Biden said.

- political influence -

The move was surprisingly announced by video and in a written statement,

With no previous mobilization by the White House.

However, the impact is expected to be significant, both legally and politically, allowing Biden to capture the narrative about the trend toward decriminalization already embraced by sections of the country.

Before midterms on November 8th,

As Democrats struggle to hold onto even partial control of Congress, Biden has now fulfilled a key demand from racial justice activists angry at the way enforcement of cannabis laws often targets racial minorities.

“As I have said often during my presidential campaign, no one should be in prison for just using or possessing marijuana.

Biden said that sending people to prison for possession of marijuana "turned the lives of many people and imprisoned them for behavior that many states no longer prohibit."

He noted that non-white people are disproportionately affected by convictions for marijuana possession,

Which in addition to sometimes including a prison sentence can unleash years of legal ramifications, creating difficulties in getting work and education.

The third measure announced was a directive for federal health and justice officials "to review how expeditiously marijuana is scheduled under federal law."

Currently,

Federal law groups marijuana along with what are widely accepted as more dangerous drugs like heroin and LSD. It's in an even higher group of relatively recent - and highly addictive - drugs - fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Senate Leader Chuck Schumer,

A key Biden ally fighting to try to keep the room under Democratic control said in November the president's move recognized that the so-called "war on drugs" was "a war on people, especially people of color."

Derek Johnson, president of the NAACP, a leading civil rights organization,

"We salute President Biden," he said on Twitter.

“The correction of the unequal treatment was -

Including marijuana reform - a priority issue for the NAACP for decades."

BY
ProBuzzFeed