Biden Pardons People Convicted of Marijuana Possession Under Federal Law

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/us/politics/biden-marijuana-pardon.html

by kmod • 4 years ago

36 12 4 years ago

nytimes.com

rolph• 4 years ago

do i smell legalization at a federal level wafting down the hall?

a_shovel• 4 years ago

This plus the student loan forgiveness makes it look like Biden decided he wanted young people to vote in the midterms.

zwieback• 4 years ago

More specifically: stoners and graduates with student loan debt. Those populations might already skew pro-Biden.

noobermin2• 4 years ago

WRT weed, it is now widely popular, with 2/3's in agreement with legalization. For republicans, it's merely a 50/50 issue[0]. Generally therefore, it no longer is a divisive issue and has wide support across American society.

[0] https://news.gallup.com/poll/356939/support-legal-marijuana-...

dpkirchner• 4 years ago

Hopefully this will lead to more people actually going to the polls instead of braying "both sides are the same."

noobermin2• 4 years ago

This is quite the shift. Biden infamously a very anti-drug and anti-marijuana politician for a long time, and I remember a story from early in his presidency where he purged members of his staff who consumed marijuana and that story sort of set the tone for the Presidency with respect to drug issues that he'd remain in that mentality. He is now promising a "review" of the current schedule for the drug which could amount to nothing in the case that deep down he doesn't want to decriminalize it, but then again it could actually follow through, which could honestly cement his legacy.

cguess• 4 years ago

It's unfortunately federal law, he had no say in the matter if they could work for him. As federal employees you can't consume marijuana (go get blasted at the lobby bar at the Watergate though, no worries there)

tester756• 4 years ago

How many people it affects?

Original post says

There are thousands of people who have prior Federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.

torstenvl• 4 years ago

Federal civilian* law.

No word yet on whether he will include convictions for marijuana possession under 10 U.S.C. § 912a.

pc86• 4 years ago

Is that not civilian law?

foxyv• 4 years ago

I think it's military.

effingwewt• 4 years ago

Non-paywalled link: https://web.archive.org/web/20221006200727/https://www.nytim...

Biden Pardons People Convicted of Marijuana Possession Under Federal Law

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