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President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color. Biden’s move also covers thousands convicted of the crime in the District of Columbia. He is also calling on governors to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which reflect the vast majority of marijuana possession cases. (Miller and Megerian, 10/7)

[Biden] also directed his administration to expedite a review of whether marijuana should continue to be listed as a Schedule I substance, a classification reserved for the most dangerous drugs, including heroin, LSD and ecstasy. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” Biden said in a video statement. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.” He added: “There are thousands of people who were convicted for marijuana possession who may be denied employment, housing or educational opportunities as a result.” (Olorunnipa and Abutaleb, 10/6)

Joe Biden is an unlikely stoner hero. Three of his four Baby Boomer predecessors in the Oval Office had explored marijuana in their youth, but by the time they became president, they all disdained the stuff. But Biden, like Donald Trump, was a straight-edge who says he never touched marijuana and was skeptical of any liberalization of drug laws throughout his long career in politics. (Graham, 10/6)

Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement that she is “thrilled” with Thursday’s news, adding that Biden should fully deschedule marijuana rather than reschedule it to a lower drug classification. “Keeping marijuana on the federal drug schedule will mean people will continue to face criminal charges for marijuana,” she said. “It also means that research will continue to be inhibited and state-level markets will be at odds with federal law.” (Evers-Hillstrom, 10/6)

“This is a major step, a historic step,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. “No one should be in prison for possessing a substance that is legal in some form in the majority of states.” (Egelko, 10/6)

When Robin Schneider, executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, heard the news Thursday that President Joe Biden will pardon people with federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana, she started crying. (Roberts, 10/6)

In Massachusetts, where voters in 2016 legalized marijuana, officials in the office of outgoing Governor Charlie Baker declined to say whether he would follow Biden’s lead. Instead, they noted Baker had signed legislation in 2018 that allows people previously prosecuted under Massachusetts law for cannabis-related conduct that is now legal to apply to have the charges erased (or “expunged”) from their records. (Adams, 10/6)