President Joe Biden told members of the NAACP today that he’s “making sure” that no one is jailed anymore for possessing or using marijuana.
“By the way, we’re making sure that no one goes to jail for the mere use or possession of marijuana,” said Biden at the115th NAACP National Convention . “Their records should be expunged – it holds them back.”
The comments come with less than a week remaining for the public comment period on the DEA’s proposal to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III, the first federal marijuana law change since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted in 1970. The move would not legalize recreational marijuana, but it would allow marijuana compounds and medicines made from them to be prescribed nationwide, if they receive regulatory approval.
In 2022 President Biden issued thousands of pardons for federal marijuana offenses. However, these pardons did not expunge the charges from people’s records, something Biden is now calling for.
In April, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “Look, [on] decriminalization the president has been very, very clear he doesn’t believe that anyone should be in jail, or be prosecuted, just for using or possessing marijuana. He continues to say that. He believes that”.
