In their latest piece for L.A. Weekly, staff writer Isai Rocha reports that President Joe Biden has announced his intention to grant full pardons for all persons federally convicted of prior marijuana possession. Citing the need to do away with jailing citizens for simple marijuana possession, President Biden has urged United States governors to grant pardons similarly.
“Just as no one should be in a Federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden said Thursday. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”