(00:00): This video’s being brought to you by Commentary Creations. I’m Enrique Latoison from Latoison Law, your 3 Minute Lawyer.
(00:11): So what are we going to talk about today? We’re going to talk about Joe Biden. President Biden actually just passed some legislation by executive order to pardon all marijuana offenses, simple possession. Now, what exactly does that mean and what does it mean for everyone? So let’s start with this. Let’s talk about what it doesn’t mean. Okay? It has nothing to do with felony marijuana cases. For people that have been convicted of felony trafficking of marijuana, it does nothing for them. And so, when you really look at it, no one right now is actually sitting in jail for simple possession.
(00:46): So in order to be convicted of a federal offense for a simple possession of marijuana, you basically need to have a joint and be walking around federal grounds or be in a federal building, and that person gets stopped and they get caught with that marijuana joint. And then if the federal government really has the time and the effort, then they arrest that person and they prosecute them, and then they go to federal court. And what that means exactly, is most of the time these people get probation or a slap on the wrist anyway. So right now, no one is sitting in jail in America for actual simple possession of a federal offense. And actually, in the last 30 years, there’s only been approximately 6,000 people have ever been charged with this.
(01:27): So when you really look at it, you think, well, what is this really doing for anyone? So what it’s doing is doing a couple of things. The first thing it’s doing is it’s sending a signal to all the states to let them know that even the federal government, with the power that they have, want to take simple possession and not make it a crime anymore and tell people it’s no longer a crime. So there are approximately about 25 states right now that that’s also not a crime. But there’s plenty more states that simple possession of a joint or marijuana is still a crime. So this is sending a signal to those states to say, listen, get with the times. Marijuana, no longer illegal for simple possession.
(02:06): It’s also what it’s doing is it’s pardoning everyone that actually has a conviction for that simple possession. So when you look at it, people have had records and things that have been holding them back. This is an opportunity for them to get those things expunged, wiped away, and get a clean slate. And what it also does is when we look at DC, District of Columbia, DC actually does not have a state system. All they have is a federal system. So you really have all the District of Columbia, anyone that’s been convicted of simple possession of marijuana, this will expunge their records. And one could argue this is going to do the most for DC residents than anyone else in the United States. But more importantly, it’s sending this signal that the federal government is no longer going to call this a crime.
(02:49): So in the end, it is making a difference. Is it going far enough? That’s for you to decide.
(02:54): Enrique Latoison from Latoison Law. Thank you.
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