US President Joe Biden on Thursday pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of marijuana possession in a major new step towards destigmatizing the drug - and fulfilling a promise to his supporters a month before midterm elections. "I am announcing a pardon of all prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana," Biden said. In addition to the pardons, Biden instructed the departments of justice and health to determine whether cannabis should be reclassified as a less dangerous substance. Officials told reporters that about 6 500 people are directly affected by convictions under federal marijuana statutes. Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, a leading Black civil rights organization, said on Twitter: "We applaud President Biden."

Source: News 24 October 07, 2022 21:20 UTC