‘California stands to be an enormous beneficiary’ from Biden’s marijuana orders, says industry consultant

President Joe Biden on Thursday pardoned everyone convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law, meaning thousands of Americans unable to find housing, employment or educational opportunities due to apossession conviction will now be able to do so.

Biden called on the nation’s governors to pardon simple state marijuana possession offenses.

“Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely for possessing marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden wrote in a Thursday tweet.

California law already provides for the automatic review and expungement of many marijuana convictions. But Biden’s order provides political cover for Gov. Gavin Newsom to go even further, said Hirsh Jain, a cannabis industry consultant and board member for California NORML, which works to reform California cannabis laws.

“California has the green light at the state level to issue more pardons,” Jain said.

Biden also announced that Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the former California Attorney General, and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. Currently, marijuana is a Schedule I drug, the same level as heroin, ecstasy, LSD and peyote.

“Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“We classify marijuana at the same level as heroin — and more serious than fentanyl. It makes no sense,” Biden wrote in a tweet.

California’s cannabis industry would receive a boost if marijuana were to be re-scheduled, Jain said, as cannabis companies would be able to access interstate markets and no longer face steep federal tax penalties that can eat up profits.

“California stands to be an enormous beneficiary,” Jain said.

Some California lawmakers took to Twitter to praise Biden’s actions, and to call for further marijuana reform.

State Sen. Mike McGuire, whose district includes the Emerald Triangle that is known for producing high-quality cannabis, tweeted Thursday afternoon, “Here’s the bottom line: The majority of US states — red & blue — have legalized cannabis for medical and recreational use. Full legalization should be the next step for the Federal Gov’t. Let’s get this done!”

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, in a tweet called Thursday “a historic day” and said that re-scheduling marijuana is “a much-needed step to undo the damage caused by the War on Drugs.”

Los Angeles-based Democratic Assemblyman Isaac Bryan tweeted Thursday, “If President Biden can pardon all federal possession of marijuana convictions, every single governor should do the same for state convictions. This is long overdue.”

Jain called Biden’s move “a political master stroke,” that puts pressure on red state governors who might instinctively oppose issuing pardons despite it being popular with their constituencies.

“I think it’s a really effective way to use the bully pulpit,” Jain said.

That might translate into political benefit for Newsom as well, Jain said, as Biden’s move gives California’s governor another chance to burnish his criminal justice bonafides while yet again tweaking his Republican rivals.