Saying "No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana," President Biden has pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of "simple possession" of marijuana under federal law.
He added "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."
That's great news to Jax James, Executive Director for Texas NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The president is also urging governors to issue pardons in state cases, which make up the majority of such sentenced. "Governor Abbott has said that people shouldn't serve time in jail for minor possession, so I'm also hopeful that he will take action as I know he has supported those types of efforts in the past, and make sure we are able to pass legislation that does that in the upcoming 2023 session."
Marijuana is classified as schedule one drug, which is defined as having no medical value and being highly addictive. That's the same level as heroin and more serious than fentanyl. President Biden is asking the Department of Health and Human Services to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. James says studies show the science does not substantiate that.
"In fact, medical cannabis is available here in Texas with a variety of conditions. I think that proves that there are medical benefits and there is science to do with the nature of the scale of addiction, and it shows that it is a healthy and safer option instead of opioids, which can be deadly. There have been zero overdoses and deaths from the consumption of cannabis."
Recreational marijuana is legal in 19 states. Medical marijuana in Texas is dispensed only in tinctures of one percent or less of THC.
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