HOUSTON – (Oct. 7, 2022) – A drug policy expert from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is available to speak on the Biden administration’s pardon of people convicted of simple marijuana possession on the federal level and the future of the drug’s legal status.
“This is a welcome development for drug reform advocates and many of Biden's supporters who have been waiting for him to fulfill his campaign promise to address marijuana prohibition,” said Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy.
Biden’s action impacts about 6,500 people. It does not apply to those convicted on the state level.
“This is significant but still a relatively low number when you consider that roughly 300,000 marijuana-related arrests were made last year, nearly all at the state level,” Harris said. “Still, this is an important step forward that sends a strong message about where the administration stands on this issue and one that will hopefully nudge states toward reform. Whether governors of more conservative states will heed President Biden's urging to pardon citizens for prior marijuana offenses remains to be seen.”
Moving forward, a review of marijuana’s status as a Schedule 1 substance could lead to opportunities to research its potential health risks and benefits, she explained.
“This designation, which is reserved for drugs with high abuse potential and no medical value, severely curtails research into the health effects of cannabis,” Harris said. “But more than half of the population now lives in a state where medical cannabis is legal, and we urgently need more rigorous research evaluating the potential risks and benefits of medicinal cannabis use.”
Harris’ current research focuses on the availability of drug treatment programs for at-risk populations, the opioid epidemic and the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis. She supports policy reforms that treat drug use as a public health issue, such as alternatives to incarceration for drug offenders, needle-exchange programs, safe-consumption sites, drug testing services, expanded access to medication-assisted treatments, and greater integration of substance use and mental health services with each other and with other areas of medical service.