President Joe Biden’s intent to pardon thousands of people convicted of possessing marijuana may have a limited impact on its own, even as it stirred debate about federal legalization.
As part of a broader announcement on marijuana policy, Biden said Thursday he would pardon the thousands of people with federal misdemeanor convictions for simple possession of marijuana. White House officials said that more than 6,500 people were convicted of possession between 1992 and 2021, with thousands more under a law that covers Washington, D.C.
Mark Osler, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas who studies sentencing and clemency, said the actual number of people released from prison by the pardons will be small. Because the law is a misdemeanor, federal prosecutors frequently do not charge simple possession on its own, he said.
