President Biden’s Pardons: What It Means for Cannabis & Criminal Justice Reform

On October 6th, 2022, President Biden issued a proclamation granting pardons to over 6,500 people with federal simple possession of marijuana offenses. In an acknowledgment of the fact that the vast majority of cannabis convictions take place on the state level, President Biden simultaneously encouraged the country’s governors to use their clemency power to issue similar grants. While the President’s executive actions are an unprecedented and important step forward, there is still much more work ahead to fully redress the harms of cannabis criminalization.

Please join the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center and the Last Prisoner Project as we host a panel of experts to discuss how these pardons will affect people with cannabis convictions on their record, how states could act on the President’s call, and what implications this may have for the future of cannabis and criminal justice reform in the United States.

This event will be presented with automated closed captions. If you wish to request traditional CART services or other accommodations, please contact Jana Hrdinova by email at hrdinova.1@osu.edu. Requests made at least 10 days in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the university will make every effort to meet requests received after that date.