President Biden granted full and unconditional pardons to all Americans with federal convictions of simple marijuana possession in an executive action this month, but don’t expect Indiana to follow suit.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb says he will not consider blanket pardons for all prior offenses of simple possession of marijuana despite Biden’s announcement to do so on a federal level. He stated that Biden should instead work with Congress on changing marijuana laws federally, “especially if he is requesting Governors to overturn the work local prosecutors have done simply enforcing the law.”
“Until these federal law changes occur, I can’t in good conscience consider issuing blanket pardons for all such offenders,” Holcomb stated on Monday.
Holcomb also argued that Indiana already has a system by which records who’ve been convicted of simple marijuana possession and other lower-level offenses can apply to have their record expunged.
Earlier this year, 13 marijuana-related bills that were filed in the Indiana House and Senate during Indiana’s legislative session never made it out of committee. The bills included proposals for marijuana legalization, decriminalization, medical use and regulation.
Recreational marijuana is legal in 18 states, including Illinois and Michigan, plus Washington D.C, and it is legal for medicinal use in Ohio.
