The president of the United States, Joe Biden, this Thursday at an event in New York. /
The measure fulfills an electoral promise of the president, who also asks that the substance be excluded from the category of hard drugs, where LSD or heroin are also located
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, announced this Thursday the pardon of all those convicted of a federal crime of possession of marijuana, thus fulfilling one of his campaign promises. According to US authorities, the measure could affect some 6,500 people convicted under the federal law passed in 1992.
The pardon thus paves the way for the complete decriminalization of marijuana use. At this time, 37 states have approved its medical use, while 16 allow recreational consumption for adults.
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 (@POTUS) October 6, 2022
“No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said in a White House statement. “Sending people to prison for that has affected the lives of too many people, convicting them of behavior that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also placed unnecessary barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” she said.
Biden has also requested that the category within drugs in which marijuana is framed be reviewed. It is currently considered a drug “one of the most dangerous” along with LSD or heroin, a higher classification than fentanyl and methamphetamine, the Democratic leader recalled. Last year, these two substances caused the death of more than 100,000 people in the country.