G.O.A.T. of the week - BIDEN ISSUES PRESIDENTIAL PARDONS FOR CERTAIN MARIJUANA OFFENSES (NBC)

What is more political than the “war on drugs?” Every election cycle, a new politician uses scaremongering to promote it as their policy, using their bully pulpit to promise everyday Americans that they are going to be the ones to solve this problem, and if anything, marijuana use keeps increasing. Did you know that every year, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) spends about $39 billion annually in trying to eliminate illegal drugs, cartels, and smugglers from bringing narcotics into society (“Costs in the War on Drugs Continue to Soar”)? Did you also know that according to a 2021 Gallup poll “68% of Americans believe that marijuana should be legalized” (Gallup)? More than half the country thinks that we should decriminalize cannabis, with those numbers steadily increasing every year.  

(Cannabis: source: The Verge)

Indeed, twenty-five states including the District of Colombia have already reversed course on their outdated policies to legalize weed (“States Where Recreational Marijuana Is Legal - ProCon.org”). And yet, “the FBI reported 227,108 arrests in 2022 related to cannabis (Schulberg). There has been a major schism in society between what the people want and what the government implements. 

(Colonists farming hemp: source: History)

Fun fact! According to the History Channel, “American colonists were once encouraged to grow and cultivate cannabis for hemp, but it all changed when the plant’s more ‘medicinal’ uses were discovered” (McNearney, “The Complicated History of Cannabis in the US”). Using marijuana for its medicinal health benefits has a panacea-like quality that can help with a multitude of ailments such as: Parkinson's disease, pain relief for cancer treatments, reducing nausea and weight loss, increasing appetite, mitigating insomnia and anxiety, and finally, lessening the symptoms of epilepsy and fibromyalgia (Grinspoon) to name a few. It is also important to highlight that, according to archaeological evidence, cannabis use has been around for more than 10,000 years (Sapiens). 

(The United States of MaryJane: source: Cannabidiol)

“If the words ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’ don’t include the right to experiment with your own consciousness than the Declaration of Independence isn’t worth the hemp it was written on” - Terence McKenna

With all the Reefer Madness in consideration, it is amazing that President Biden took the limited amount of steps that he could, with the power that he had, to right the wrongs of society. We must remember that there are checks and balances in governance and while this decision only applies to people with federal convictions (in the DC area), this is an especially crucial step in the right direction. Hopefully, with all the changes in states deciding to legalize, state legislatures will then do an internal review of marijuana convictions within their own populaces and seriously consider how those convictions have hurt their societies. We must also remember that if ‘we the people’ want change, we have to be the change, and that includes taking active participation with our votes! Congress is the one with the power to completely decriminalize, a President can only do so much, but this gives me confidence that hope is on the horizon! 

This article was first published by NBC. NPR, AP press, CNN, The Hill, ABC and BBC similarly authored articles as well.  

Sources: 

“Biden Issues Pardons for Certain Marijuana Offenses.” NBC News, 22 Dec. 2023, www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-issue-pardons-certain-marijuana-offenses-rcna130876. 

“Costs in the War on Drugs Continue to Soar.” NBC News, 2 July 2023, www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/data-download/costs-war-drugs-continue-soar-rcna92032. 

Gallup. “Support for Legal Marijuana Holds at Record High of 68%.” Gallup.com, 20 Nov. 2021, news.gallup.com/poll/356939/support-legal-marijuana-holds-record-high.aspx. 

Grinspoon, Peter, MD. “Medical Marijuana.” Harvard Health, 10 Apr. 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085. 

Sapiens. “An Archaeology of Marijuana.” SAPIENS, 27 Oct. 2023, www.sapiens.org/archaeology/archaeology-marijuana. 

Schulberg, Jessica. “At Least a Quarter of a Million People Were Arrested for Weed Last Year, FBI Says.” HuffPost, 18 Oct. 2023, www.huffpost.com/entry/police-make-quarter-of-a-million-weed-arrests_n_65304ea4e4b03b213b087ddd. 

“States Where Recreational Marijuana Is Legal - ProCon.org.” Recreational Marijuana, 8 Nov. 2023, marijuana.procon.org/legal-recreational-marijuana-states-and-dc. 

---. “The Complicated History of Cannabis in the US.” HISTORY, 17 Apr. 2020, www.history.com/news/marijuana-criminalization-reefer-madness-history-flashback. 

Image Sources: 

“History of Cannabis in America - Cannabidiol 360.” Cannabidiol 360, 25 Oct. 2018, cannabidiol360.com/history-of-cannabis-from-toxin-to-flummoxing-benefits/history-of-cannabis-in-america. 

Lyons, Kim. “Sens. Booker, Schumer, and Wyden Will Advance Cannabis Legislation.” The Verge, 1 Feb. 2021, www.theverge.com/2021/2/1/22260844/cannabis-legislation-congress-democrats-congress. 

Rank, Scott, PhD, and Scott Rank PhD. “The History of Cannabis and Its Use by Humans.” History, 26 June 2023, www.historyonthenet.com/history-cannabis-use-humans.