USA: Joe Biden wants relaxation of marijuana rules (video)

US drug policy
Biden wants marijuana rules relaxed – and pardons (certain) convicts



Watch the video: US President Biden wants to relax marijuana rules.

STORY: US President Joe Biden has initiated a change in federal marijuana policy. By executive order Thursday, he issued a pardon for all those convicted of simple possession of the drug under federal law. As a result of these rulings, thousands of citizens may have been denied access to jobs, housing and education, it said in a statement. Biden also called on state governors to follow the move. He also ordered federal agencies to review marijuana classifications. It is currently classified like heroin at the federal level in the United States. In the United States, certain drugs are partially legal at the state level but banned at the federal level. With the move, Biden is fulfilling an election promise, which should particularly please the left wing of his Democrats. Congressional elections will be held in the United States in early November.

More

US President Joe Biden wants to decriminalize the possession of marijuana. Biden also called on state governors to follow the move.

US President Joe Biden has announced a pardon for those convicted of simple marijuana possession at the federal level as part of an easing of drug policy. “No one should be in jail for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said Thursday. “Sending people to jail for possession of marijuana has turned too many lives upside down and landed people in jail for behavior that many states no longer prohibit.” A criminal record for marijuana possession makes it difficult for many people to access a job, housing and educational opportunities, Biden said. In addition, African Americans and other minorities are disproportionately affected by such convictions compared to whites.

Biden pardons convicts of marijuana possession

The President therefore instructed the Justice Department to allow a pardon for those convicted solely of marijuana possession, not other drug-related offences. According to the White House, thousands of people could benefit from this. Government officials spoke of around 6,500 convicts. The President’s order only affects federal convictions, not state-level proceedings, where there are many more convictions. Biden also called on state governors on Thursday to follow his example.

US federal law currently prohibits marijuana

Most US states now allow the cultivation and consumption of marijuana in some form, for example for medical use, but in many cases also for recreational use. But that’s against federal law, which still bans marijuana. Biden on Thursday directed the Justice and Health Departments to review the status of marijuana in federal law. Marijuana is currently classified by federal agencies in the same category as hard drugs such as heroin. Biden’s announcement came about a month before the congressional elections in early November. During the 2020 presidential campaign, the Democrat had campaigned for an easing of drug policy.

mth
AFP
Reuters

source site-3