(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Advocates for the decriminalization of cannabis are embracing President Biden's decision to pardon thousands of Americans convicted in federal courts of simple possession of marijuana.
Margo Vesely, executive director of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization of Reform Marijuana Laws, welcomed the president's decision but called it “surprising” because the Biden Administration did not seem open to such a move previously.
Still, she called it a “substantial step forward in the right direction.”
Vesely also welcomed the president's order for a review of marijuana's classification under federal law on the same level as drugs such as heroin and LSD.
In the wake of the president’s announcement, Gov. JB Pritzker said nearly 800,000 low-level marijuana convictions in Illinois have been pardoned or expunged.
CNN Politics said the president's move was a "historic step that is likely to be widely popular and could energize core Democratic constituencies just over a month from the midterm elections."
Many advocates are hopeful this move paves the way for a full federal legalization of marijuana, but Biden did not say anything about even deeper future changes. He did say, however, that marijuana convictions are disproportionate in minority communities.
“No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said in a video. “It’s legal in many states, and criminal records for marijuana possession have led to needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. And that’s before you address the racial disparities around who suffers the consequences.”
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