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Marijuana Pardons Affect Just a Sliver of Those Swept Up in the War on Drugs

Valerie Schultz’s conviction for possession of a small amount of marijuana in 2010 was anything but simple.

Ms. Schultz was arrested on federal land, the Mount Olympus Trail in Utah, which means she was charged under federal law. The authorities found pot in her car, so her license was revoked. Without the ability to drive, she was forced to give up her job teaching second grade.

“It just seemed like it was very harsh punishment,” said Ms. Schultz, 33. “You think I’m such a menace to society because I’m smoking in a forest?”

President Biden’s decision last month to pardon thousands of people who had been convicted of marijuana possession under federal law was an acknowledgment that his administration does not see possession of cannabis, with no intent to sell or distribute, as a public safety threat.

But people like Ms. Schultz, whose lone conviction has hounded her for more than a decade, represent just a sliver of those swept up in the decades-long war on drugs. A majority of marijuana convictions have been state crimes, which Mr. Biden does not have the authority to pardon; he can only hope that governors will follow suit.
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