2 years ago
159
US president Joe Biden announced a pardon for thousands of radical convicted for possession of marijuana nether national law
Society 6 October 2022A rally to legalise marijuana successful the United States Shutterstock / Susan Montgomery
On 6 October, US president Joe Biden announced plans to betterment US marijuana policy, including issuing a pardon of each anterior national offenses of elemental marijuana possession – and calling connected authorities governors to bash the same.
“Just arsenic nary 1 should beryllium successful a national situation solely owed to the possession of marijuana, nary 1 should beryllium successful a section jailhouse oregon authorities situation for that reason, either,” said Biden successful a connection released by the White House. His pardon applies to thousands of radical charged with marijuana possession nether national law.
He besides called upon the US lawyer wide Merrick Garland and US caput of wellness and quality services Xavier Becerra to measure however marijuana is classified nether US national law. Under existent laws it is successful the class reserved for the astir unsafe substances.
The usage of aesculapian marijuana is presently ineligible successful 37 US states and Washington, DC, and 19 states let adults to acquisition cannabis for recreational use. Yet contempt this, galore radical stay incarcerated for elemental possession of cannabis.
Even aft release, transgression records for marijuana possession enforce “needless barriers to employment, housing, and acquisition opportunities,” said Biden successful the statement. He besides noted that contempt akin marijuana depletion among antithetic races and taste groups, “Black and brownish radical person been arrested, prosecuted and convicted astatine disproportionate rates”.
Indeed, respective studies enactment this observation. Data from 2018, for instance, shows that much than 53 per cent of achromatic radical implicit property 18 successful the US study utilizing cannabis astatine immoderate constituent successful their lives compared to 45 per cent of Black people. Yet Black radical are 3.6 times much likely to beryllium arrested for possession.
In June, the American Medical Association (AMA) issued a statement calling connected states to expunge transgression marijuana charges from people’s records erstwhile the related offenses were aboriginal legalised.
“It simply isn’t just to ruin a beingness based connected actions that effect successful convictions but are subsequently legalised oregon decriminalized,” said AMA spokesperson Scott Ferguson astatine the time.
More connected these topics:
English (US) ·