President Joe Biden recently claimed that his administration has released federal marijuana prisoners and expunged cannabis records. The only problem is that it never happened.
“A promise made and a promise kept,” said Biden during a South Carolina campaign event. “I keep my promises. When I said no one—no one—should be in prison for merely possessing marijuana or using it, and their records should be expunged.”
The president is referring to a mass pardon that he announced in 2022 for federal-level simple possession of marijuana. The White House said it would affect thousands of Americans.
But the pardon never actually freed any prisoners. All arrests for simple marijuana possession are made at the state level. Federal marijuana prisoners are there for felony-level crimes.
As for his claim about expungements, thousands have reportedly received the pardon and were given a certificate from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that reportedly says: “The pardon means that you’re forgiven, but you still have a criminal record.”
The president has repeatedly made similar false claims about the nature of the pardons in the past.
Cannabis Bill Passes in NM Senate
The New Mexico Senate has passed a bill that would make a number of changes to the state’s adult-use cannabis laws.
Last week, state senators passed the bill in a 25-15 vote along party lines—Democrats favored the bill while Republicans opposed it.
The changes include giving the Cannabis Control Division authority to seize suspicious products, freeing up restrictions on juvenile cannabis charges, making it easier for legacy medical cannabis businesses to convert to corporations and fixing some language.
An amendment that will allow dispensaries to continue operating drive thru windows was passed hours before the bill was passed as a whole.
The bill will now move to the House Judiciary Committee.
Federal Report Considers Bank Protections
Last week, the Congressional Researcher Service released a report that found cannabis businesses’ lack of banking access makes them targets for violent crime.
The report covered policy issues for the Federal Reserve and highlighted issues with cannabis banking.
Under federal anti-laundering laws, banks and financial institutions are prohibited from working with known criminal organizations. Since weed is still illegal at the federal level, these laws bar banks from accepting cannabis businesses as clients.
The service found that state-legal cannabis businesses are forced to operate on a cash-only basis, making them perfect targets for robbers. The report also found that the ban on cannabis banking causes weed businesses to face higher borrowing costs than businesses in other sectors.
The researchers said the Federal Reserve will need to reconsider policy issues like whether banking services should be offered to state-legal businesses that are violating federal law, whether weed businesses have been harmed by federal barriers to banking access and whether banks should be protected from marijuana laws when other sectors aren’t.