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President Joe Biden on Friday issued a proclamation expanding a marijuana pardon initiative he began last year by including for the first time people who committed cannabis possession offenses on federal properties.
“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in a statement. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
“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,” the president continued.
He is also calling on governors “to do the same with regard to state offenses and applaud those who have since taken action.”
The expanded pardons come as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is considering a recommendation to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III under a recommendation from the Department of Health and Human Services that stemmed from a review that Biden initiated last year in conjunction with his initial marijuana clemency move.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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