President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is "pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession." This is a welcome move but a modest one, since it provides relief to only a small share of U.S. citizens with federal marijuana records. And despite that declaration that he's pardoning "all" offenders, the pardon's language specifies that only "current United States citizens and lawful permanent residents" are eligible for relief.
According to David Bier, associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, someone wouldn't be eligible for a pardon if they committed an offense while unlawfully present in the country, "even if you subsequently received a green card or U.S. citizenship." The pardon's language even excludes people, such as tourists, who are here lawfully but are not permanent residents.
