President Joe Biden announced today that he would grant pardons to all people convicted of small cannabis crimes under federal law. Biden followed that statement by announcing that next he will ask the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to review how cannabis is listed as a schedule 1 drug.
This was a bold action Biden took today. In the past, he was tepid at best when it came to his actual support for cannabis legalization even though he promised change during his campaign.
Despite how you may feel about Biden over his lack of hard support for cannabis in the past, today was definitely a win.
“I have to applaud Joe Biden and his administration for taking action,” said Michael “Coach” Harris. Harris is one part of Consulting Harris. Consulting Harris has been instrumental in lobbying for access to medical marijauna for patients in Georgia.
Harris continued “I think more could be done when you’re talking about re-entry programs, expungement programs and educational platforms to break the stigma of what the industry has put on marijuana.
Antoine Mordican agrees that this is great, but it’s the tip of the iceberg.
President of the Alabama M4MM chapter and CEO of Native Black Cultivation Mordican feels this was a great moment to witness for all supporters of the plant.
“We need to take steps with intentions on bringing everyone home for cannabis charges. We must continue to advocate, encourage, motivate, educate and push for change the American people will like to see.”
Darrell Black, host of “Let’s Talk Weed” thinks Biden’s move still leaves something to be desired.
“What needs to be done by the administration is educating themselves about the plant. He (Biden) has been very disconnected and oblivious to what’s going on in plant medicine.”
Where Biden takes this next is up to him and the White House. A push to remove cannabis from schedule 1 status and pushing for full legalization would be a great move. Whether we see that happen is still up in the air.
The optimism from today definitely hit home for many.
“I appreciate the President for using his powers for this cause. I hope to see more of this widespread in the future. We got to celebrate progression. We got to celebrate restoring broken families. We still have a long way to go. But I’ve learned we must celebrate when we step in the right direction,” said Mordican.