Poll: Majority supports Biden’s cannabis pardon

The country overwhelmingly supports President Biden’s historic moves on U.S. marijuana policy, according to a poll released Tuesday.

The new poll, conducted by Politico and Morning Consult, found that 40% of Americans “strongly support” the president’s actions, while 25% “somewhat support” them.

Biden announced last week that he was pardoning all those previously convicted under federal law of a marijuana-related offense, a move that will affect thousands of Americans. Perhaps equally important, Biden said he has “requested the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to begin the administrative process to expeditiously review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law,” a signal that the federal weed prohibition era is beginning could come to an end.

That’s welcome news for the vast majority of the country, according to the new poll.

Politico reported that nearly “two-thirds of voters said they support granting pardons to individuals with nonviolent federal marijuana convictions,” compared to “fewer than one in four respondents.” [who] spoke out against pardoning marijuana offenders.”

The poll also suggests that Biden’s announcement broke the ultra-saturated news cycle last week, with Politico reporting that more than “two-thirds of respondents said they had heard a lot or something about executive branch actions, while just 32 percent said they had.” not to have done.” I haven’t heard much or anything about her.”

While Biden’s pardon applies only to those with federal pot convictions, the president “urged all governors to do the same regarding state misdemeanor.”

“As I’ve said many times during my campaign for president, no one should be in prison just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said in his announcement last week. “Sending people to jail for possession of marijuana has turned too many lives upside down and jailed people for behavior that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also created unnecessary barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. And while whites and blacks and browns use marijuana at similar rates, blacks and browns have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates.”

He also called the announcement an important first step towards decriminalization.

“Federal law currently classifies marijuana under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification designed for the most dangerous substances. This is the same timeline as heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine — the drugs driving our overdose epidemic,” Biden said.

“Too many lives have been turned upside down because of our failure to manage marijuana,” the President continued. “It is time we corrected these mistakes.”

With the midterm elections a little less than a month away, Democrats are hoping Biden’s actions will give them a boost.

On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris touted Biden’s moves as a difference between the two parties and urged both Congress and state-elected officials to follow the administration’s lead.

“Let me just start by saying this. I firmly believe, and most Americans agree, that nobody goes to jail for smoking weed, right?” Harris said during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. “We call on governors and states to follow our lead in pardoning people criminalized for marijuana possession. And ultimately, as with so many issues, when Congress acts, there is a unified approach to this and so many other issues. But Congress must act.”

“We are 29 days away from the midterms,” ​​added the vice president. “Ask who you vote for, where they stand on that, and I encourage you to vote accordingly.”