President Joe Biden expanded a categorical pardon today for low-level marijuana offenders convicted on federal lands and in the District of Columbia, a move the White House says will ease the burden of a criminal record for thousands of people.
"Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities," Biden said in a White House press release. "Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs."
