Biden's move takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of colour.
U.S.President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of "simple possession" of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of colour.'No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,' U.S. president saysU.S. President Joe Biden — seen visiting an IBM facility in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
"Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana," he said. "It's time that we right these wrongs."According to the White House, no one is currently in federal prison solely for "simple possession" of the drug, but the pardon could help thousands overcome obstacles related to renting a home or finding a job.
"The Justice Department will expeditiously administer the president's proclamation, which pardons individuals who engaged in simple possession of marijuana, restoring political, civil, and other rights to those convicted of that offence," the department"In coming days, the Office of the Pardon Attorney will begin implementing a process to provide impacted individuals with certificates of pardon."Biden is also directing the secretary of health and human services and the U.
Rev. Al Sharpton, the president of the National Action Network, said Biden's "righteous action today will give countless Americans their lives back." But, he added, "the United States will never justly legalize marijuana until it reckons with the outdated policies that equated thousands of young Black men with hardened drug-pushers."
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