According to reports, President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of individuals convicted of marijuana possession after claiming the current system “makes no sense.”

The pardons only impact those convicted on the federal level for “simple marijuana possession” but the president is calling on governors across the country to follow suit on the state level. 

“Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” said the president. 

CNBC reports that "[m]ore than 6,500 individuals with prior convictions for simple marijuana possession were impacted by the pardons, a White House official said, and thousands more through pardons under D.C. law." However, "[t]he pardons will not be extended to those who weren’t U.S. citizens and were illegally in the country at the time of their arrest." 

“There are thousands of people who were convicted for marijuana possession who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result,” Biden said. “My pardon will remove this burden on them.”

He continued, “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” adding, “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

Source: Instagram.com