President Biden, who was a staunch opponent of marijuana law reform in his younger years, has become the most consequential president in U.S. history regarding marijuana law reform.
In six months, regardless of what happens this November, Joe Biden will no longer be president. Despite having just one term, no previous president has done more to move forward the conversation of marijuana law reform, even if he didn’t go near as far as some advocates would have liked.
President Biden has never supported the legalization of marijuana. However, he is the first president since Jimmy Carter to support decriminalizing it. Although he did not fulfill this campaign promise, he initiated a review of marijuana’s scheduling status, leading to the DEA proposing it be moved to Schedule III. Once completed, this will be the most significant federal change regarding marijuana since the introduction of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970.
In another historic move, Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act into law in 2022, making it the first standalone marijuana legislation ever signed by a U.S. president. The law facilitates research into marijuana and its derivatives by simplifying the research approval process and addressing barriers previously faced by researchers.
In 2022, Biden issued pardons for all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession, impacting thousands of people. He also urged governors to issue state-level pardons, which has already resulted in hundreds of thousands of pardons. In 2023, Biden expanded these pardons to include additional marijuana offenses.
Last year, Biden made history by promoting marijuana reform during his State of the Union address, becoming the first president to do so. He emphasized his administration’s efforts to expunge previous convictions and review marijuana’s federal classification.
Throughout his presidency, Biden has repeatedly stated that “no one should be in jail because of marijuana.” In September, at an event for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Biden reiterated this stance, saying, “no one – no one – should be in jail merely for the use or possession of marijuana.” A recent social media post from the official White House page echoed this sentiment, stating, “President Biden and Vice President Harris believe no one should be jailed just for using or possessing marijuana.”
Overall, no former president has come close to matching President Biden’s impact on marijuana law reform.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is poised to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee for president, is even more pro-marijuana. Harris supports federal legalization and the expungement of past convictions. As a U.S. Senator, she co-sponsored legislation to deschedule marijuana.
