Pardon

A pardon is an exercise of executive clemency under which the chief executive (President federally, Governor at the state level) forgives a criminal offense. A pardon does not establish innocence and does not automatically expunge the underlying record, but removes civil disabilities associated with the conviction (voting rights, firearm rights where applicable, occupational licensing barriers). Biden's Proclamation 10467 (Oct. 6, 2022) pardoned federal simple possession of marijuana under 21 U.S.C. § 844 and parallel D.C. Code offenses, with the U.S. Sentencing Commission estimating ~6,557 affected individuals. Proclamation 10688 (Dec. 22, 2023) expanded coverage to attempted simple possession, use, and offenses on federal lands and under the CFR; it excluded PWID, trafficking, DUI, and state convictions. Mass state cannabis pardons have been issued by Governors Sisolak (Nevada, ~15,000), Inslee (Washington, ~3,500), Pritzker (Illinois, 11,017), Polis (Colorado, 1,300+), Brown (Oregon, ~45,000), Healey (Massachusetts, March 2024 blanket misdemeanor pardon), and Moore (Maryland, June 2024, >175,000 including paraphernalia). President Trump has not issued cannabis pardons in his second term as of April 2026. *→ See also: Clemency, Expungement, Sealing