Biden Issues Pardon to Federal Cannabis Offenders
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday announced he is taking executive action to pardon thousands of people federally convicted of cannabis possession. He also has tasked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) with reviewing the plant’s status under federal law. According to a DOJ statement, the department “will expeditiously administer the President’s proclamation, which pardons individuals who engaged in simple possession of marijuana, restoring political, civil, and other rights to those convicted of that offense. In coming days, the Office of the Pardon Attorney will begin implementing a process to provide impacted individuals with certificates of pardon.” Currently, no federal prisoners are serving time for simple possession alone, according to the White House, but the pardons will make life easier for those with prior convictions. “There are thousands of people who have prior federal convictions for marijuana possession wh...