President Joe Biden hasn't been the most staunch supporter of the federal legalization of cannabis, but he did take a big step toward righting some of the wrongs from the past five decades of drug policy.
While white, black, and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, black and brown people are disproportionately jailed at higher rates for it, according to the White House.
Biden issued a proclamation pardoning all current U.S. citizens and permanent residents convicted of federal charges for simple possession of marijuana.
"As I've said before, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Today, I'm taking steps to end our failed approach," Biden said on Twitter.
Simple possession "generally involves a small amount of drugs," according to at least one law firm. And people can be charged even if the drug is for personal use and not for sale.
Federal drug possession charges also can carry stiffer penalties than state charges. Simple possession on the federal level carries up to a year in prison, with fines of $1,000 or more.
A second possession conviction can get you two years in federal lockup, with fines of $2,500 or more.
A (Largely) Popular Decision
With the midterm elections coming up and the prospect that Democrats could lose control of the House of Representatives, Biden and the party would welcome some legislative wins.
Over the past few years, Americans have become more liberal in their view of marijuana, and the polling reflects this.
Over 60% of Americans approved of Biden's marijuana pardon, according to a YouGov poll, with 38% strongly approving. About a quarter of the 7,606 respondents either somewhat or strongly disapproved of the move.
More than half said marijuana should not be a Schedule 1 drug. Again, a quarter said that it should be.
As a Schedule 1 substance, it is considered by the federal government to be as dangerous as heroin. As part of Biden's announcement, however, the secretary of health and human services and the attorney general are "expeditiously" reviewing weed's scheduling status under federal law.
While most media applauded the move, that quarter constituency in opposition has a clear voice on Fox News.
Dr. Russell Kamer, medical director for drug-testing-service provider Partners in Safety, on the network called the cannabis industry the "addiction-for-profit marijuana industry."
He did say that no one should be in prison for smoking marijuana, calling the idea "ridiculous."
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) takes the opposition a step further. He called Biden's pardon a "surrender in the fight to save lives from drug abuse." He also said rescheduling the drug would be "ignoring the science."
Opinions About Pot Have Shifted
The problem for the 25% is that the majority of Americans no longer see marijuana as a dangerous drug.
A little more than 20% of respondents to a Rasmussen telephone and online poll said that cannabis was "somewhat dangerous" while 12% said it was "very dangerous."
In contrast, 28% said that the drug was "not very dangerous" and 29% said that cannabis was "not at all dangerous."
Still, about 60% of the 1,000 Americans surveyed said that drug misuse in general is getting "worse" in the country while just 9% said that the issue was getting better.
But attitudes toward pot have clearly shifted. A new poll by the National Cannabis Roundtable found "a massive shift in opinion, and it's evidently clear that Republicans have extremely positive attitudes toward legal cannabis," said former Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, who is now a National Cannabis Roundtable board member.
