# Mass Pardons for Marijuana Possession

> Pardoned all prior federal simple-marijuana-possession offenses and directed a review to reschedule cannabis under federal law.

Joe Biden · Justice & Civil Liberties · Major Decision · Oct 6, 2022
Official record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_policy_of_the_Joe_Biden_administration

## What happened

Pardoned all prior federal simple-marijuana-possession offenses and directed a review to reschedule cannabis under federal law.

## How it happened

Presidential proclamation (October 2022, expanded 2023) plus an HHS/DEA scheduling review.

## Documented impact

- [positive / substantiated] Cleared federal possession convictions and advanced rescheduling. — Thousands of federal convictions were pardoned; the move pushed a historic review toward reclassifying cannabis to Schedule III.
- [mixed / substantiated] Limited immediate reach. — No one was released (few are in federal prison for simple possession); most marijuana cases are at the state level.

## Sources

- [Cannabis policy of the Biden administration (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_policy_of_the_Joe_Biden_administration)

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Canonical: https://eo.alanwizemann.com/eo/biden/mass-pardons-for-marijuana-possession