Biden announced marijuana pardons. How many people will it help?

Marking his first step toward the decriminalization of marijuana, President Joe Biden announced Thursday he would pardon prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana.

The move doesn’t legalize marijuana, despite myths circulating online by Friday. Nor will it free many people from prison.

Yet it does represent the most extensive White House efforts in the long-fought, widespread campaigns to overhaul cannabis policy nationwide.

Biden ordered the secretary of health and human services and the attorney general to review the way marijuana is classified by federal law. He also called on state governors to consider similar actions surrounding local offenses of the civil possession of marijuana.

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“No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” a White House statement said. “Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit.”

The statement went on to say how criminal records for marijuana possession can create barriers to “employment, housing and educational opportunities,” as well as the disproportionate rate that Black and brown people are arrested for marijuana possession despite white people using the drug at similar rates.

Still, critics of the executive order note that while the move may symbolize progress, the policy will only impact a small fraction of people.

Biden’s executive order will clear people who were convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law from 1992 through last year. Those pardons apply to people who were considered legal U.S. citizens when their offense was recorded. Details on receiving a pardon certificate are coming soon, according to the Justice Department. Biden also asked governors to consider similar actions on the state level, and called for a review of how marijuana is scheduled, or classified, under federal law (more on that below).

» READ MORE: Biden pardons thousands for ‘simple possession’ of marijuana

Simple marijuana possession charges relate to when a person has smaller amounts of marijuana, presumably meant for personal use. It can also apply to when a person distributed, but did not sell, a small amount of marijuana. The pardon will not apply to other marijuana possession charges, such as conspiracy, distribution, or possession with intent to distribute.

According to the White House, Biden’s pardon will impact about 6,500 people. The policy will also cover charges for simple marijuana possession in the District of Columbia, meaning thousands more could be pardoned.

It’s unclear how many people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have federal simple marijuana possession charges on their records.

But, most importantly, the order won’t apply to convictions under state or local law anywhere else.

White House officials say no one is presently incarcerated under simple possession convictions, but that the policy will remove barriers people face from having a criminal record solely because of a marijuana charge.

This refers to how marijuana is classified as a drug. Currently, it’s a Schedule I narcotic, meaning it doesn’t have medical use and has high potential to be abused. Medical marijuana advocates have criticized this classification for decades. Other drugs with Schedule I classification include heroin and LSD. Conversely, fentanyl and methamphetamine have a lower classification.

While Biden’s announcement does not mean marijuana is legalized — a myth that has already started floating around online — it does mark a major step toward decriminalization efforts.

Shekia Scott, of the Philadelphia CannaBusiness Association, called the move “nominal” and said it has “no restitution” in the grand scheme of marijuana prosecution. But, she added that the call for governors to follow suit and to reexamine the drug’s categorization “sets the precedent for future decriminalization locally and beyond.”

“Finally a U.S. president has taken baby steps to recognize and act on the devastation and racial disparities leveled against our communities through targeted marijuana prohibition and the overall war on drugs,” Scott said. “The trickle-down change that this will inspire at both the city and state level is something that hasn’t been done in history by a U.S. president.”

To date, 19 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana use and 37 states have legalized medical marijuana use.

While Biden’s pardon will not impact local charges, Gov. Tom Wolf responded Thursday to Biden’s call for state governors to reexamine local marijuana laws.

“I just coordinated a one-time, large-scale pardon effort for people with certain minor, nonviolent marijuana convictions,” Wolf said. “Under Pennsylvania law, I don’t have unilateral pardon authority — but I’m doing everything I can to right the wrongs of the failed war on drugs.”

Biden made his announcement while on a visit to New York and New Jersey Thursday afternoon. In New Jersey, medical marijuana and recreational use of the drug is legal.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) praised the order, calling it a “transformative” step for “thousands of people and families harmed by our broken cannabis law.” Booker added that he wants to see Congress and other states legalize, regulate, and tax the drug.