Tweet from Biden minutes ago: I'm urging all governors to pardon prior state offenses of simple possession of marijuana

[highplainsdem]

No one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, and no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.

Link to tweet

[pfitz59]

1. Set them free!

No one should be jailed for mere possession or personal use.

[sheshe2]

2. Go Biden.

[CanonRay]

3. The Texas legislature will now make it a capital offense.

[Cha]

4. Great! That won't go

Over big in Florida and other reds states I’m guessing.

[bahboo]

16. and they're a bunch of fucking hypocrites....

a LOT of folks, repubs included I'm sure, smoke weed in those states.

[Cha]

22. Oh yeah!

[Faux pas]

5. That's the spirit

Happy 420! Excuse me while I hit the old water pipe

[Maraya1969]

6. YES! No one should be in jail or have on their record for something that is now legal

I'm in FL and I wonder if Mr. Jackass Desantis will do it.

[COL Mustard]

33. I wish it was decriminalized at the Federal level

People who have security clearances can’t touch it, even if they live in a state where it’s legal.

[OAITW r.2.0]

7. Absolutely. Well done Joe.

Bet he's never inhaled, but he gets the bullshitiness of pot crimes.

[Freethinker65]

8. On 4/20!

[malaise]

9. Perfect 4 /20 announcement

Rec

[multigraincracker]

10. Free all POWs....

Prisoners Of War on drugs.
😄

[Skittles]

11. damn straight

[Botany]

12. Best President of my Lifetime.

Go Joe!

[odins folly]

13. The problem is

Many red states, and some blue, bought into privatization of their prisons. The contracts were written to say that the state must maintain a high (no pun) 90 percent occupancy rate in order to not pay more on the contract. My state of AZ had this issue.
If they let the lowly weed crimes go, they don’t have enough “criminals” to fill the beds.

[Wednesdays]

27. Oh well. nt

[flying_wahini]

34. Oh I am quite sure they can fill them with other minor criminals..

And contracts can be changed.

[odins folly]

36. That is exactly what is being proposed

Here in AZ. I find it most humorous that it is the r side that is now complaining that we are spending tax dollars to cover a contract that charges extra because we don’t have enough “criminals” to fill all the prison beds.

I welcome decriminalizing weed, the racist bullshit reasons for it being criminal in the first place need to be pushed off.

[SergeStorms]

14. Urging....

Not ordering. Red state governors will not comply with urges.

[malaise]

15. Then Red state citizens should vote them out

That is all

[we can do it]

32. He can't order governors to do anything.

[JoseBalow]

17. It's a 4/20 miracle!

[Mountainguy]

18. Ive had a suspicion that legalization was going to

Be part of Bidens reelection strategy.

[Celerity]

23. Biden's still not in favour of legalisation. At most he may reschedule it from Schedule I to Schedule III

but some in the DEA are supposedly fighting even that.

https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling

[questionseverything]

53. The dea will never give up their cash cow

After all if mj was legal they would have to pursue actual dangerous drug dealers selling fentanyl and the stuff that eats your skin away…. Chasing old hippies is much easier

[japple]

19. Bless you, President Biden, but I'm sure GA Guv Brine Kemp won't

hold with that. Part of what is propping up the state of GA is the prison system. Make that the prison industry.

[Hekate]

20. This is a BFD ❤️ Remember this is the same Joe that jumped the gun with the announcement about gay marriage..

… when he was Veep. Fingers crossed that he can get this done federally despite profound obstacles.

[MichMan]

21. Why does the Federal government still classify it as being illegal ?

[Celerity]

24. Big Pharma and Big Private Prison

[GoodRaisin]

29. In addition to Big Pharma and Private Prison it is also opposed by Police.

[summer_in_TX]

30. Controlled Substances Act of 1970

Marijuana was listed as a Schedule 1 drug: highly likely for abuse and no known medical benefits. (Heroin, cocaine, and LSD are among Schedule I drugs.)

In October, Biden directed HHS to reconsider it as a Schedule III drug.

I would guess it will take Congressional action to remove it from the list of controlled substances.

[SeanHG]

25. A potential reclassification coming

perhaps? Joe's historically been against re/declassification. One wonders if he's courting the youth vote...

[Mark.b2]

26. It would probably help more with us older folks than the youth....

Of course, polling may say otherwise.

Congress just needs to make it legal.

[OverBurn]

28. Come on President Biden, finally go all the way and Federally legalize it.

[twodogsbarking]

31. If you attempt to overthrow the nation you should be in jail, at least.

[4lbs]

35. Weed is great for the economy. All these right-wing 'purists' need to remember that.

Case in point.

I was working the late shift and a dude in a car was parked in our lot. For a long time. With the lights on.

Evidently it was the night before Saturday night, 4/20. It was 4/19 at 11:30pm.

He was smoking weed.

After about 15 minutes, he slowly drove into the drive thru and bought a bunch of food. Got it, and promptly drove slowly back to his parking spot. He began eating and smoking more weed. Again parked, again with the lights on.

He repeated this several times.

He must have spent an additional $80 or so on food.

Money he would probably not have spent had he simply gone home and gone to bed instead of having elected to smoke weed and eaten off his munchies that resulted.

Good. For. The. Economy.

[MichMan]

39. What about all the costs on our health care system ?

Lung cancer, emphysema and obesity?

[coprolite]

42. Because of the lack of U.S. investment in

clinically studying Marijuana we don't know that it causes lung cancer or anything else. Likewise we don't know if it has any benefits.

[MichMan]

49. Do you doubt that inhaling foreign substances into one's lungs through smoking is harmful?

I don't.

[4lbs]

43. Check the stats on Colorado, Oregon, Washington, California, and Nevada.

All states who have legalized marijuana for years now.

Have those disease rates spiked up in those states? Has it been a 'drain' on those healthcare systems there?

I don't know.

[BannonsLiver]

45. Aren't you anti weed?

I think I’ve seen similar fear mongering reefer madness style posts from you in the past.

[MichMan]

48. I smoked daily for over 20 years

Decided when I was in my 40's that it wasn't good for my health and quit. I saw all the tars and residue that collected in my pipe that needed to be cleaned out. If I was smoking joints all of that and more would have been inhaled. That was 25 years ago.

Pretending that there are no health risks after what we know about cigarettes is burying your head in the sand.

[BannonsLiver]

50. So now you will evangelize against it. Thanks for the reply.

[MichMan]

51. Evangelizing against it by recognizing the health risks?

I guess I'm guilty then...

[DemocraticPatriot]

46. Then I guess we better ban tobacco and alcohol!

Those two things generate much more costs on health care than marijuana use.

[MichMan]

47. We should learn from our mistakes, not repeat them

The effects of inhaling toxic smoke and byproducts are known to scientists from tobacco. The tobacco industry was sued and paid billions to states for health care costs.

Why would we be dumb enough to not recognize the health risks of marijuana?

[cutroot]

54. You don't have to smoke it . Edibles are available Very helpful for back pain

[MichMan]

55. The post I initialky replied to (#35) specifically mentioned smoking n/t

[hueymahl]

37. I support this 100%

Love that it was on 4/20

[tavernier]

38. Maybe it's time for

A blanket pardon.

[Martin68]

40. Thanks, President Biden.

[yagotme]

41. Governors control state prisons.

Feds control federal prisons. Governors can't do anything about federal crimes. He has to take action at the federal level to release fed. inmates.

[Dave Bowman]

52. Totally agree.

[betsuni]

44. K&R

[dai13sy]

56. YES

This is huge. We have another display of common sense from our President. He just keeps hitting it out of the park.