WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color.

Biden’s move also covers thousands convicted of the crime in the District of Columbia. He is also calling on governors to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which reflect the vast majority of marijuana possession cases.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-marijuana-government-and-politics-2d5e3d9e2cfbbbe3ee114536738894a8

 

 

Good for a few extra votes in the hippie demographic....(although they might not notice the generous act through the fumes).

They can chalk that up as another war they have lost lol! 

 

But at least they are not trying to re-introduce it like some.

1 hour ago, blazes said:

 

Good for a few extra votes in the hippie demographic....(although they might not notice the generous act through the fumes).

It’s not simply the ‘hippie demographic’.

 

Legalization of marijuana has wide public support and very many societal benefits.

 

The smart move here by Biden is he’s handed liberal candidates for state elections a platform issue that is popular with voters but which Illiberals will push back against simply because it was Biden’s idea.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, blazes said:

 

Good for a few extra votes in the hippie demographic....(although they might not notice the generous act through the fumes).

Hippies? Really? Still living in the 1960s?

 

Support for Legal Marijuana Holds at Record High of 68%

https://news.gallup.com/poll/356939/support-legal-marijuana-holds-record-high.aspx

This might have some slight positive effect on the situation here in Thailand where the drug warriors are starting a counteroffensive to re-criminalize a beneficial herb that never should have been outlawed in the first place.

The USA has more people imprisoned than any other nation on earth. Freeing those whose crime is sleeping a lot and munching more than others, will free up some bunks for heroin dealers and murderers. Seems perfectly practical. 

The number of people affected by Biden's pardon from federal prison for possession of marijuana may provide only limited advantage. Remember the pardon doesn't apply to state convictions.

 

The US Sentencing Commission shows that in 2017 only 92 people were sentenced for marijuana possession out of a total of nearly 20,000 convictions! 

 

At the federal level 81,900 prisoners in September 2016 were convicted of drug offenses, but more than 99% were sentenced for trafficking (my note - "simple possession implies "personal use").

June 2019

https://washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/

 

So for a person convicted of possession of marijuana in federal court along with other serious drug offenses, there might only be a nominal reduction in their sentence. They should remain in jail.

 

But Biden does set an example and that may motivate state citizens to push for similar drug policies.

It’s about time some here think he’s pandering for votes I personally don’t think so he’s just following through on some of the campaign promises and freeing needlessly incarcerated people 

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s not simply the ‘hippie demographic’.

 

Legalization of marijuana has wide public support and very many societal benefits.

 

The smart move here by Biden is he’s handed liberal candidates for state elections a platform issue that is popular with voters but which Illiberals will push back against simply because it was Biden’s idea.

 

 

 

Probably not his idea at all, I don't think he has any and just does what he is told

7 hours ago, Scott said:

resident Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law

Good Man

Keep on WINNING, Uncle Joe. 

2 hours ago, Purdey said:

The USA has more people imprisoned than any other nation on earth. Freeing those whose crime is sleeping a lot and munching more than others, will free up some bunks for heroin dealers and murderers. Seems perfectly practical. 

Nobody was freed. The pardon only applied at the federal level and there was no-one in federal prison for simple marijuana possession at the time the pardon was issued.

 

All it did was vacate some historical convictions.

48 minutes ago, proton said:

Probably not his idea at all, I don't think he has any and just does what he is told

Yeah that's the right wing (demonize "Brandon") line and it has become very tiresome.

The idea isn't original. Nobody said it was. Be HE did it! Credit where credit is due, dude!

1 minute ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Nobody was freed. The pardon only applied at the federal level and there was no-one in federal prison for simple marijuana possession at the time the pardon was issued.

 

All it did was vacate some historical convictions.

He is actively advocating that it be done at the state level. US presidents aren't dictators (not yet anyway) so he has done all he can at the executive level. 

53 minutes ago, Tug said:

It’s about time some here think he’s pandering for votes I personally don’t think so he’s just following through on some of the campaign promises and freeing needlessly incarcerated people 

Nothing wrong with pandering for votes if the actions are good for the country, and this action is definitely that.

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

He is actively advocating that it be done at the state level. US presidents aren't dictators (not yet anyway) so he has done all he can at the executive level. 

Yeah, I'm not saying it was a bad thing, just that it didn't actually free anyone who was still in prison.

57 minutes ago, proton said:

Probably not his idea at all, I don't think he has any and just does what he is told

Speaking of something that is not one's idea, parroting right wing nonsense much?

6 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Yeah, I'm not saying it was a bad thing, just that it didn't actually free anyone who was still in prison.

Away with you and your trolling nonsense.

 

If Biden enacted a presidential order that you really disagreed with you’d be claiming it’s all his own idea, with nobody else whatsoever involved in his decision.

 

 

13 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Yeah, I'm not saying it was a bad thing, just that it didn't actually free anyone who was still in prison.

But it does mean that the conviction can be expunged from their records which will make life a lot easier for them.

Politically speaking, this was an issue that the republicans could have owned (and benefitted from) as they do have a libertarian side to them (outside of culture wars things like LGBT civil rights and abortion rights). So it is also a great thing that President Biden has made this step to make marijuana decriminalization something identified with the democratic party. 

Campaign pledge make and fulfilled contrasting with pledge that Mexico will pay for the wall (unfinished) and never happened. Will boost some Dems in the mid-term who have been rising the issue of marijuana legalization central to their campaign. 

15 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Away with you and your trolling nonsense.

 

If Biden enacted a presidential order that you really disagreed with you’d be claiming it’s all his own idea, with nobody else whatsoever involved in his decision.

Is that actually aimed at me? My post was not in any way critical of Biden.

 

Perhaps you were meaning to reply to the post that implied this wasn't Biden's idea?

 

That was @proton, not me

8 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Is that actually aimed at me? My post was not in any way critical of Biden.

 

Perhaps you were meaning to reply to the post that implied this wasn't Biden's idea?

 

That was @proton, not me

GroveHillWanderer, I owe you an apology.

 

My post was meant to be a response to Proton, refer below.

 

My mistake and my apologies to you:

 

1 hour ago, proton said:

Probably not his idea at all, I don't think he has any and just does what he is told

 

 

Good. About time. Long overdue. 

No matter if it's for votes or who pulled biden's strings, fair move.

Meanwhile, in the UK.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11277213/Police-commissioner-calls-cannabis-raised-Class-drug-par-heroin-cocaine.html

 

A Tory Police and Crime Commissioner has called for cannabis to be reclassified as a Class A substance, on a par with heroin and cocaine. 

Dorset Commissioner David Sidwick told the Tory party conference yesterday: ‘We need tough sanctions for possession and to halt the drive towards decriminalisation.’ 

 

 

This is really excellent news. Biden doing more good work for the people. The Feds in the US have continued to back insanely dumb and fruitless anti cannabis laws for decades now. Millions of lives have been devastated by this stupid policy. It is time for a federal official to stand up to the DEA, a toxic, creepy, and wasteful organization, that accomplishes very little, yet sucks so much in the way of resources from the treasury. Now, it is time to empty all prisons of anything related to ganga, and lock up, or severely punish some overly zealous DEA officials. 

Just to be clear here's a little about who will benefit:

 

The New York Times reported that the pardons will affect about 6,500 people convicted of simple marijuana possession between 1992 and 2021 under federal law, as well as thousands more under DC code, White House officials said on a call with reporters

13 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Politically speaking, this was an issue that the republicans could have owned (and benefitted from) as they do have a libertarian side to them (outside of culture wars things like LGBT civil rights and abortion rights). So it is also a great thing that President Biden has made this step to make marijuana decriminalization something identified with the democratic party. 

The Republicans once had a libertarian side, but that is long gone.  Florida Gov DeSantis' (future Presidential candidate and Fox News darling) used legislation to punish Disney when it announced it would no longer contribute to Florida Republicans because of the "Don't say Gay" law, and his Stop Woke act would dictate what kind of human relations training companies can give their employees.

 

Authoritarians want to tell individuals and businesses how to behave.