by Charlotte Hazard
The White House announced Friday that President Joe Biden would be pardoning thousands of people who were convicted for usage and possession of marijuana on federal property.
The president is also granting clemency to 11 people convicted non-violent drug crimes, according to Fox News.
“First, I am commuting the sentences of 11 people who are serving disproportionately long sentences for non-violent drug offenses,” Biden announced in a press release. “All of them would have been eligible to receive significantly lower sentences if they were charged with the same offense today.”
The president announced he would be making reforms to marijuana usage, specifically on federal land in hopes to rethink the country’s “failed approach” to the drug.
“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs,” Biden said.
He also encouraged governors around the country to take a similar stance.
“Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden said. “That’s why I continue to urge governors to do the same with regard to state offenses and applaud those who have since taken action.”
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Charlotte Hazard is a 2022 Liberty University alumni who graduated with a major in journalism and a minor in government.
