Biden pardons thousands with federal convictions of simple marijuana possession

President urged governors to follow suit, saying such criminal records have imposed needless barriers' on people of color

Thousands of people convicted of cannabis possession have been pardoned by Joe Biden, in a major move that advocates say was long overdue" and could help pave the way for national marijuana legalization.

Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit," Biden said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities. And while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted at disproportionate rates."