President Pardons Pot Possessors

President Biden is a one-time drug war hawk who is now pardoning pot offenders.

On October 6, 2022, President Biden took to Twitter to announce the policy

“As I’ve said before, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Today I’m taking steps to end our failed approach. Allow me to lay them out,” Biden tweeted.

The President then went on to tweet about how he would pardon all individuals in jail for marijuana use and possession  He then explained how he implored governors and state officials to pardon state-level offenders and have marijuana rescheduled (changing its legal status). 

“We classify marijuana at the same level as heroin–and more serious than fentanyl. It makes no sense,” Biden tweeted.

Long-time opponents of the War on Drugs were quick to point out that Biden was not always the “dove” that he positions himself as now.

“Biden did not merely ‘support’ the 1994 [crime] law; he wrote the [darned] thing, which he has proudly called ‘the 1994 Biden Crime Bill,'” Jacob Sollum reported in “Reason.”

Sollum was not alone in his skepticism regarding Biden’s newfound enlightenment on the drug issue.

“He didn’t pardon me, so I ain’t optimistic about [anything].”

“President Biden’s pardon of federal prisoners convicted of simple marijuana possession is a long-delayed, small step in the right direction. That the president has been one of the most ferocious drug warriors for virtually all of his 50-plus-year political career makes me hopeful that this is the start of more moves to pull out of the War on Drugs with the speed and finality that he pulled troops out of Afghanistan,” “Reason” Magazine editor at large Nick Gillespie said.

Nick went on to say that Biden’s personal experiences with how drug prohibition affects addicts (the President’s son, Hunter, used crack cocaine) mean he knows the extent to which drug prohibition negatively affects addicts.

“The marijuana pardons are a great step–thousands of people will be freed from the burden of criminal records. The President has also taken other good steps–more funding for treatment and harm reduction,” author Johann Hari said.

But, Hari went on to say that, while the President’s actions were “commendable,” more needs to be done to stop the War on Drugs entirely.

Americans in Berks County and across the country have strong feelings regarding pot pardons.