DOJ To 'Expeditiously' Act On Biden's Marijuana Pardon Directive, While HHS 'Looking Forward' To Scheduling Review - Marijuana Moment

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

55% : "In coming days, the Office of the Pardon Attorney will begin implementing a process to provide impacted individuals with certificates of pardon.""Also, in accordance with the President's directive, Justice Department officials will work with our colleagues at the Department of Health and Human Services as they launch a scientific review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law," the agency said.
52% : HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra separately said in a tweet -- posted as precisely 4:20 PM ET -- that he's "looking forward to working with Attorney General Garland to answer [Biden's] call to action to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law."
50% : The agencies could ultimately recommend moving marijuana from the strictest classification of Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to a lower schedule or no schedule at all.
50% : Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers filed a bill in April that would direct the attorney general to create a commission charged with making recommendations on a regulatory system for marijuana that models what's currently in place for alcohol.
49% : "The Justice Department will expeditiously administer the President's proclamation, which pardons individuals who engaged in simple possession of marijuana, restoring political, civil, and other rights to those convicted of that offense," DOJ said.
42% : "For too long, our approach to marijuana has upended too many lives, disproportionately devastating communities of color," the ONDCP director, commonly referred to as the drug czar, tweeted.
39% : The department also clarified that in addition to not covering any state cannabis crimes, the proclamation doesn't apply to people "who were convicted of possessing multiple different controlled substance in the same offense.""For example, if you were convicted of possessing marijuana and cocaine in a single offense, you do not qualify for pardon under the terms of President Biden's proclamation," it said.
34% : "If you were convicted of one count of simple possession of marijuana and a second count of possession of cocaine, President Biden's proclamation applies only to the simple possession of marijuana count, not the possession of cocaine count."Biden separately called on governors to grant relief to people with low-level cannabis convictions at the state level, where the vast majority of Americans have been prosecuted over marijuana.
32% : In June, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the Justice Department was "examining" marijuana policy and would be addressing the issue "in the days ahead."Around that time, the White House drug czar also said that the Biden administration is "monitoring" states that have legalized marijuana to inform federal policy, recognizing the failures of the current prohibitionist approach.
31% : While Garland has made clear that he doesn't feel it's appropriate to federally prosecute people who use marijuana, he hadn't independently acted on calls from certain lawmakers to initiate the process to decriminalize marijuana.

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