A report by the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) indicates that no one is in federal prison for possession of marijuana. A week ago, Joe Biden announced that he would pardon everyone convicted of marijuana possession, as he included in his election campaign to legalize the drug nationwide. The question is: why pardon when no one is in federal jail for marijuana possession?
The Biden Administration's proposed to decriminalize the use of marijuana in the lead-up to the midterm elections. To do so, Democrats would need a majority in Congress, as most Republican legislators oppose this measure.
According to The Marshall Project, about 6,500 Americans are convicted of marijuana possession, excluding data from Washington D.C. However, none are incarcerated in a federal prison, making Biden's pardon impossible to fulfill.
On the other hand, New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Barry Latzer noted in the New York Daily News that there were 800 cases for marijuana possession in 2020, of which 160 went to prison. However, they were sentenced to only six months.
Biden's announcement
Biden argued that "criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities." That is why he wants to reach an agreement with all governors to legalize marijuana. After learning that no person is in prison for marijuana possession, the president noted on his Twitter account:
Sending people to jail for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives - for conduct that is legal in many states. That's before you address the clear racial disparities around prosecution and conviction. Today, we begin to right these wrongs.
- President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2022
Currently, marijuana is legal for those 21 and older in nineteen states and Washington. In addition, 37 states and the capital authorize the medical use of marijuana. Five states - Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota - will vote in November on whether to decriminalize use of the drug for adults.
