Joe Biden Tweets for 420
Biden takes the oath of office administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. at the Capitol, January 20, 2021. Photo from the Public Domain
Not every year 4/20 falls on Saturday, so it must have been a blast of a weekend for everyone who loves weed. In Berlin, where cannabis was only recently legalized, they threw a big party where thousands showed up to celebrate the momentous achievement. The festivities were on as well in the U.S., where people also turned to social media. President Joe Biden was among those who posted on X (formerly Twitter) at exactly 4:20 pm.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both expressed their support for national marijuana reform as they posted at precisely 4:20 p.m. on Saturday.
As the November election approaches, their comments implicate that the administration plans to continue its efforts toward decriminalization.
“Sending people to prison just for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit,” the president wrote in his X post. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
Vice President Kamala Harris posted simultaneously with the president. “Nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed. We must continue to change our nation’s approach to marijuana while reforming the justice system so it finally lives up to its name,” her message said.
Biden posted another tweet later in the day. In his second post, the president repeated his plea for “all governors to pardon prior state offenses of simple possession of marijuana.”
“No one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, and no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden tweeted.
Only a few governors have responded so far in granting clemency for simple possession, following the president’s historic announcement in late 2022.
A spokesperson from the White House told the press on Friday, Apr. 19, that the administration is still waiting for the Justice Department to finalize its ongoing review into cannabis scheduling, but did not provide any further information.
Biden has repeatedly faced criticism for not fulfilling his campaign pledge for federal decriminalization of marijuana. However, he has taken important steps by initiating the schedule review process and granting clemency for thousands of cannabis convicts.
It’s largely viewed that should the Democratic party win majority seats in both the House and Senate in the November 2024 elections, wider marijuana reform in the U.S. might really be on the books.
Also read on Soft Secrets:
- DEA Will Have Final Say on Marijuana
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Stephen Andrews
