On Thursday October 6th, President Biden announced a pardon for all prior federal convictions of simple marijuana possession. This marks a step towards the potential decriminalization of marijuana. The decriminalization of marijuana was something President Biden was supportive of during his campaign for the presidency, making it one of his key promises. This decision is going to affect thousands of people currently incarcerated with these charges.
While this pardon order only has an impact on those who are charged on a federal level, President Biden urged local leaders to follow him in pardoning charges of simple marijuana possession on a state level. During his announcement of this pardon President Biden also called for an investigation into the classification of marijuana – saying it “makes no sense” as to why it’s treated as more serious offense than fentanyl.
Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana.
Today I announced a pardon of all prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana, urged governors to do the same, and asked HHS and DOJ to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 6, 2022
In a video released by The White House, President Biden declares that “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana”. He also makes note of the how having a marijuana related charge has an impact on multiple portions of ones life from housing to employment. President Biden also points out the disparities between incarceration rates of White and Black individuals when it comes simple possession charges, stating that Black Americans are disproportionately affected in terms of arrests and convictions.
Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. Hear from @POTUS on the three steps he is taking to right these wrongs. pic.twitter.com/IqOxHxjgue
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 6, 2022
This news happened within the last 24 hours and already has a massive reach online. The term “Biden Pardon” has over 118k mentions and has reached 1.8 billion users. The majority of users were males in the United States. These conversations were taking place on Twitter, shortly followed by Reddit. Many of the top influencers were news sources as CNN and BBC News, and of course, Joe Biden and The White House.
This news has clearly shocked audiences, with one of the top themes of discussion being, “OMG”. While the sentiments were split nearly 50/50, it seems the public is celebrating this landmark decision. Taking to their social media pages to share that they were happy to see progress being made towards the decriminalization of marijuana. Some users even taking the time to make a joke around the situation.
HOLY MOLY: President Biden just announced he will pardon EVERY prior federal offense of simple marijuana possession. This is HUGE.
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) October 6, 2022
No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.
Today, @POTUS pardoned THOUSANDS of Americans with federal possession charges, and took the first steps toward decriminalization. #DankBrandon pic.twitter.com/lKy0h2BQPl
— CAP Action (@CAPAction) October 6, 2022
Not only did people describe their excitement surrounding this decision, users choice in emojis more subtly reflected the positive sentiment. The following is a compilation of the most used emojis within his keyword search.
While the discussions seem mostly positive, others were quick to point out that this pardon may not affect as many people as it’s being advertised. Though it will pardon any federal convictions of a simple marijuana possession, it will not alleviate other charges or assist those on the state level – which are where a lot of these charges are.
Biden's announcement today is kinda smoke and mirrors.
Most federal prosecutions for marijuana are for sale or trafficking, not possession — even when the amount of weed involved is very small.
The number of people covered by this "mass pardon" is approx. 6,000.
— Rebecca Kavanagh (@DrRJKavanagh) October 6, 2022
This decision is a historic one and the Social Media Listening Center will continue to follow conversations surrounding this topic and update you as necessary.
