US President Joe Biden announced Thursday, October 6 to erase all federal convictions for simple possession of cannabis. “No one should be imprisoned for simply consuming or possessing cannabis”he said on Twitter, calling on state governors to follow this path and pardon those convicted of a simple offense of possession of cannabis.
A measure for ethnic minorities
The president also called on health and judicial authorities to rethink the sentences associated with marijuana, while the movement for its decriminalization is meeting with strong support in the United States. Joe Biden, however, insisted on the importance of continuing the fight against the trafficking and sale to minors of cannabis.
These new measures also aim to rectify criminal proceedings that disproportionately affect ethnic minorities, justified the president. Nineteen of the 50 US states, plus the capital Washington, have legalized the recreational use of cannabis for adults.
In most states, its medicinal use is authorized in varying degrees, from oils containing a low level of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive principle of cannabis) to pure marijuana. Only a handful of ultra-conservative and rural states, such as Idaho, Wyoming or Nebraska, remain intransigent.
Strangely, marijuana remains illegal at the federal level. Joe Biden’s announcement on Thursday, however, symbolizes a first step towards his reclassification. Marijuana use among young Americans hit record highs last year, according to a recent study.