Biden pardons all federal simple marijuana possession convictions orders federal review of cannabis

President Biden issues a proclamation pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana, directly affecting approximately 6,500 people convicted under federal law plus thousands more under DC law. He also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to review whether marijuana should remain a Schedule I controlled substance, the same classification as heroin. Biden calls state possession laws "the right thing to do," noting that thousands more face state convictions. The action falls short of full federal decriminalization but represents the most significant federal cannabis policy shift in decades.