The measure fulfills an election promise from the president, who also calls for the drug to be excluded from the hard drug category, which also includes LSD or heroin.
United States President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a pardon from all those convicted of a federal crime of marijuana possession, fulfilling one of his campaign promises. According to US authorities, the measure could affect some 6,500 people convicted under the federal law passed in 1992.
Thus, the pardon paves the way for the complete decriminalization of marijuana use. Currently, 37 states have approved its medical use, while 16 allow recreational consumption for adults.
“No one should be in prison just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said in a White House statement. “Sending people to prison for that has impacted the lives of too many people and condemned them for behavior that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also created unnecessary barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities,” he said.
Biden has also asked for a review of the category of drugs in which marijuana is framed. It is currently considered a drug “one of the most dangerous” along with LSD or heroin, a higher classification than fentanyl and methamphetamine, the Democratic leader recalled. Last year, these two substances killed more than 100,000 people in the country.
Source: La Verdad
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