The President of the United States, Joe Biden, will pardon all those convicted at the federal level for possession of marijuana through an executive order, the White House announced on Thursday (6).
In a phone conversation with journalists, senior US government officials explained that the order will affect those convicted at the federal level, of whom no one is currently incarcerated, but which Biden intends to pressure governors to do the same in the states.
“We estimate that about 6,500 people convicted of marijuana possession at the federal level and 1,000 people in the District of Columbia benefit will not be made aware of this decision”, detailed one of the employees during the call.
Most marijuana possession convictions, however, occur at the state level, which is why the Democratic president’s administration will ask governors across the country to take the same action. .
The announcement is part of a series of executive actions announced by Biden to try to take steps to decriminalize marijuana, one of his electoral promises that, however, was not fulfilled by the lack of agreements in Congress.
Receive Our News
Newsletter On the cellphone
Get our newsletters
By registering for our newsletters, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, including receiving content and promotions from Gazeta do Povo. Unsubscribing can be done at any time at this link.