Why did Joe Biden pardon people convicted of federal marijuana offences?

The White House wants to reclassify the drug’s legal status

April 20, 2021 - New York, NY USA: Free marijuana joints given to New Yorkers inside Union Square Park who can show they've gotten their covid-19 vaccination shots. With New York?s recent legalization of adult recreational cannabis use, residents can now grow their own plants and smoke in public wherever cigarette smoking is allowed. Eventually they will be able to walk into a shop and buy an assortment of cannabis-infused edibles, pre-rolled joints and other psychoactive products. (Matthew McDermott/POLARIS) /// Credit: Matthew McDermott / Polaris / eyevinePlease agree fees before use. SPECIAL RATES MAY APPLY.For further information please contact eyevinetel: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709e-mail: info@eyevine.comwww.eyevine.com

Oct 7th 2022

ON OCTOBER 6TH President Joe Biden made good on a campaign promise to pardon people convicted of marijuana possession by the federal government. The move was part of a broader executive order directing his administration to review the way that the drug is classified, and therefore regulated. It was cheered by those who see such convictions as a shameful legacy of the war on drugs, and out of step with a country where 37 states have legalised medical or recreational marijuana. What implications will Mr Biden’s order have for America’s cannabis culture and industry?

This article appeared in the The Economist explains section of the print edition under the headline “Why did Joe Biden pardon people convicted of federal marijuana offences?”