Biden Administration Stalls on Marijuana Law Reform

Feb. 23, 2022

Reform of federal marijuana legal guidelines has stalled regardless of President Biden’s marketing campaign promise to decriminalize the drug and polls exhibiting {that a} majority of Americans helps the thought.

The inaction rankles supporters of looser marijuana legal guidelines as a result of the thought has help from some Republicans and Democrats.

“If someone like myself and a progressive like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can find some common ground, it begs the question, why hasn’t the president acted?” U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, a Republican from Ohio, advised The Wall Street Journal. “The solutions are there. It’s just a matter of political will,” he stated.

While campaigning in May 2019, Biden got here out in favor of decriminalization, which might forestall folks from being incarcerated for marijuana possession beneath federal regulation and expunge prior legal information for possession. Other candidates, together with Vice President Kamala Harris, supported full legalization beneath federal regulation.

Federal regulation says an individual convicted of marijuana possession may very well be jailed for one yr for the primary offense and given two to 3 years for subsequent convictions, in keeping with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. A big majority of marijuana arrests, nevertheless, are made by native or state police with various penalties.

Meanwhile, extra states are embracing marijuana. Earlier this month, Mississippi turned the thirty seventh state to approve medical marijuana in some kind. The National Conference of State Legislatures webpage says 18 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for grownup leisure use.

The public has warmed to the thought over time. A November 2021 Gallup ballot confirmed 68% of respondents favored legalizing the drug.

The Wall Street Journal stated the impasse within the Senate makes it unlikely any marijuana laws would transfer ahead this yr. Biden could also be involved that advocating marijuana reform would make him look gentle on crime because the midterm elections strategy.

“I can positively see the Biden administration taking a look at rising crime charges and suppose it could be a messaging mistake to start to speak about decriminalization of hashish, about pardons and document expungement,” John Hudak, a senior fellow on the Brookings Institution who research marijuana coverage, advised The Journal.

Maritza Perez, a director on the Drug Policy Alliance, which favors altering marijuana legal guidelines, advised PolitiFact that Biden may reform legal guidelines with out going by Congress.

Perez stated the president may order the Justice Department to deprioritize marijuana prosecutions or use his clemency energy to launch folks serving time for federal marijuana offenses. He may additionally help the MORE Act, which might take marijuana off the listing of scheduled substances beneath the Controlled Substances Act and get rid of legal penalties for manufacturing, distributing, or possessing marijuana.

“Unfortunately, we now have not seen any steps and even the indication of great consideration for a step in the best course in relation to marijuana coverage reform and the Biden administration,” Justin Strekal, political director of the NORML, advised PolitiFact.

The White House advised The Wall Street Journal that hashish coverage is beneath research however declined additional remark.