'Time that we right these wrongs': Biden pardons thousands for marijuana use and possession

In 2020, Joe Biden campaigned on pardons or commutations for non-violent drug offenders — and in 2022, he pardoned thousands of federal offenses for simple possession of marijuana. More news came on Friday morning, December 22, when the president announced that he was "commuting the sentences of 11 people who are serving disproportionately long sentences for non-violent drug offenses."

Biden added that "following my pardon of prior federal and D.C. offenses of simple possession of marijuana, I am issuing a Proclamation that will pardon additional offenses of simple possession and use of marijuana under federal and D.C. law."

"Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities," Biden wrote. "Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs."

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Former President Donald Trump, in contrast, has campaigned on expanding the death penalty to include drug trafficking.

Axios' Emma Hurt, reporting on Biden's December 22 proclamation, notes that although the president has been quite proactive when it comes to pardons and commutations for nonviolent marijuana convictions, he "has stopped short of endorsing efforts to legalize marijuana at the federal level — except for medical use."

"Many Democrats and advocates have long pushed for legalization of marijuana," Hurt explains. "The ACLU, for example, has argued criminalization has fueled mass incarceration and disproportionately affected people of color. The House voted in 2022 to decriminalize cannabis on the federal level and allow for the expungement of some marijuana convictions. Legalization efforts have stalled in the Senate, however, despite support from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)."

The wave of pardons comes as the national mood toward marijuana use has softened. As of December 2023, there are 24 states as well as Washington, DC that have legalized small amounts of marijuana either by ballot referendum or legislative action. Ohio — a state Donald Trump won twice whose legislature is under GOP control — was the latest state to legalize it following a ballot initiative in November.

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