Biden Pardons Thousands Convicted of Marijuana Possession

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

President Joe Biden is pardoning everyone who has been convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law and is urging governors to take similar action for those convicted of possession under state laws.

Biden’s blanket pardon will affect over 6,500 people who have been convicted or charged with federal offenses for marijuana possession. If governors join in, it could potentially impact millions of others who have been convicted of possession under state laws and now have criminal records. The pardon does not alter federal or state laws that prohibit marijuana trafficking, marketing and under-age sales.

“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in a statement. “Just as no one should be in a Federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.” 

The mass pardon partially fulfills a campaign promise made by Biden during the 2020 election campaign and begins the process of changing marijuana’s status under federal law. Biden said he would ask Attorney General Merrick Garland to “expeditiously” review how marijuana is classified.

Marijuana was classified by the DEA as a Schedule I controlled drug in 1970, on the same level as heroin and LSD, which means it has “no currently accepted medical use.” That classification now makes little sense, with 37 states and the District of Columbia having legalized medical marijuana as a treatment for chronic pain and other health issues.

“We are pleased that today President Biden is following through on this pledge and that he is also encouraging governors to take similar steps to ensure that the tens of millions of Americans with state-level convictions for past marijuana crimes can finally move forward with their lives,” said Erik Altieri, Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).  

Altieri said the DEA should “deschedule” marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, and not just change its status to a less restrictive Schedule II or III level. Descheduling would amount to full legalization.

“Nearly half of voters now agree that legalizing marijuana ought to be a priority of Congress, and such action can only be taken by descheduling cannabis and repealing it from the US Controlled Substances Act — thereby regulating it in a manner similar to alcohol,” he said.

In 2020, the House passed legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, but the bill never came to a vote in the Senate, then controlled by Republicans. Legalization would appear unlikely if the 2022 midterm elections result in the GOP taking control of either the House or Senate.

Last week, a House GOP caucus released a “Family Policy Agenda” saying Congress should not legalize marijuana. The report claimed legalization at the state level “led to an explosion of marijuana use among children, which is having a hugely negative impact on their health.”

More Americans are now using marijuana and cannabis-based products to manage their pain than pharmaceutical drugs. A 2021 Harris Poll found that 16% of adults are using cannabis or CBD for pain relief, compared to 8% who use opioid medications and 11% who use non-opioid pain relievers.

Why President Biden Must Act on Stem Cells

By A. Rahman Ford, PNN Columnist

In a recent Forbes article, Jake Becraft argues that biomedical manufacturing must receive similar federal investment as technology infrastructure if all Americans are to have equitable access to emerging medical technologies like stem cell therapy.

Becraft notes that -- unlike the rollout of 5G wireless technology, which received substantial public and private investment -- healthcare distribution bottlenecks have received much less attention.

 “If 70% of Americans should have access to 5G, why shouldn’t they also have access to live-saving therapeutics?” asks Becraft, who is the founder and CEO of Strand Therapeutics. “What good is gene therapy to cure blindness if only those with an extra $850,000 in their pocket and home near an urban center can access it?

“If we invest in the fair and equitable distribution of life-saving therapeutics across the country, and not just in the medical hubs of major cities, we could make cell and gene therapies as accessible as we have aimed to make 5G. Cures shouldn’t exist only for the privileged.”

For Becraft, true next-generation health access requires a revolutionizing and re-imagining of healthcare manufacturing and delivery, which would consequently speed the development of cell therapies.

A Broken Stem Cell Infrastructure

Becraft’s argument cuts to the heart of the stem cell accessibility divide, which is especially true with regard to autologous stem cells that are derived from a patient’s own body fat, bone marrow and other tissues.

Harvesting, processing and administering autologous stem cells is relatively simple, cheap and can be done in one day.  Clinicians around the world have been using these therapies to treat or even cure autoimmune diseases and orthopedic problems that are often poorly treated with conventional medical modalities,

But autologous stem cells are currently heavily regulated in the U.S. because the Food and Drug Administration considers a person’s own stem cells to be “drugs” and thus subject to the long, arduous and expensive clinical trial process.

Other countries have more relaxed stem cell regulations. This means that professional athletes and wealthy people can simply fly to Europe or Columbia to receive potentially life-saving therapy. Meanwhile, the average American – many of whom are financially devastated by COVID-19 – is left to languish and suffer.

Clearly, the incrementalism and gradualism that has for too long pervaded and permeated medical technological progress must give way to thoughtful, purposeful and conscious revolutionary reconsideration.

A ‘New Deal’ for Stem Cells

Up to this point in his nascent administration, President Biden has not made stem cell accessibility and affordability a priority. Yes, there are several clinical trials underway for stem cell candidates to treat the symptoms of COVID-19. And, to the FDA’s credit, these trials are being expedited.

But thick federal bureaucratic fog still stifles the commercialization of emerging stem cell modalities that Americans in pain so desperately need. The FDA has yet to approve a single stem cell product as a treatment for arthritis or any orthopedic condition.

Almost one year ago, I wrote that then FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn had the opportunity to implement a stem cell “New Deal” that would provide much-needed clarity to the regulatory landscape by vesting the states with primary authority over autologous stem cells.

The “New Deal” baton has now been passed from the Trump administration to President Biden, who can help lead us the finish line of stem cell accessibility and affordability. His administration has an opportunity to make good on its pledge to do right by the American citizenry it has pledged to serve. President Biden, the American people are counting on you.

A. Rahman Ford, PhD, is a lawyer and research professional. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and the Howard University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal. Rahman lives with chronic inflammation in his digestive tract and is unable to eat solid food. He has received stem cell treatment in China.