According to a new YouGov poll, President Joe Biden’s mass pardons for federal marijuana possession charges are the most widely supported acts of presidential clemency in U.S. history.
The survey, released on Monday, gauged public opinion on more than a dozen significant pardons from various administrations. Biden’s decision to pardon those with federal cannabis possession offenses emerged as the clear favorite, with 69% of respondents in favor and only 18% opposed.
The poll found that only two other pardon events had majority support: Biden’s clemency for former service members penalized for their sexual orientation or gender identity (55%) and former President Jimmy Carter’s pardon of Vietnam War draft resisters (54%).
The most unpopular pardon is US history was former-President Clinton’s pardon of former-Congressmember Dan Rostenkowski.
“As the 50th anniversary of Gerald Ford’s controversial pardon of Richard Nixon approaches, new polling reveals that public support for the pardon has increased over time, though slightly more still disapprove of it than approve”, states YouGov. “Americans are divided over many specific pardons, largely corresponding to whether their party and the party of the president who issued it are aligned. While some of the most recent pardons — such as those granted by President Joe Biden for marijuana possession — receive broad approval, others, particularly those issued by former President Donald Trump to his allies, are viewed far less favorably.”
YouGov states that “Roughly half of Americans approve of presidents having the power to pardon federal crimes, but majorities think it would be inappropriate for presidents to pardon themselves, family members, or donors. Many support putting limits on the president’s pardon power, including by making public the reasons behind pardons, prohibiting self-pardons, and limiting pardons during an election year.”
For more information on this survey, click here.
