The president of the United States, Joe Biden, announced this Thursday a pardon for people with light federal convictions for possession of marijuana, a decision that will affect thousands of those sanctioned and takes a further step towards decriminalization. This was one of the campaign themes of Biden, who then promised to start the process to relax the federal classification of the substance.
In a release issued by the White House, Biden assured that “sending people to prison for possession of marijuana has upended too many lives and has put people in jail for conduct that many states no longer prohibit.”
“Criminal records for possession of marijuana have also imposed unnecessary barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. And while white, black, and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced at disproportionate rates.”
In the text, Biden urges the governors of each state to issue similar pardons for state light possession penalties.
He also asked the secretaries of Health and Human Services, and of Justice, to initiate the corresponding processes to “quickly” review the codification of marijuana according to federal law.
Although they do not reach the legalization that many sectors of American society are asking for, these are the first big steps taken by a US president towards the relaxation of anti-marijuana laws. The substance remains illegal even in states where its use has been authorized for medical and recreational purposes.
According to federal regulation, marijuana is placed in the classification reserved for the most dangerous substances, along with heroin and LSD. The coding for marijuana is “higher than the coding for fentanyl and methamphetamine, drugs that have fueled our overdose epidemic,” Biden said in the statement.
The president warned that even if the regulation changes, the limitations to combat trafficking, marketing and sales to minors must remain in force.
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