CHARLOTTE — North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has begun looking into action the state can take on marijuana pardons following President Joe Biden’s federal action Thursday.
A response from Gov. Cooper’s office sent to Channel 9 Friday said Gov. Cooper’s office recommends decriminalizing simple possession of marijuana.
On Thursday Biden announced that he is pardoning prior federal offenses for simple marijuana possession, according to the Associated Press. That doesn’t include charges for distribution of marijuana.
Gov. Cooper has asked his lawyers to review North Carolina law about simple possession and pardons to see what action they can take.
[ RELATED: NC medical marijuana bill goes to House with final Senate OK ]
“We need to end this stigma that can keep people from getting jobs and make sure law enforcement keeps its focus on fighting violent crime, drug traffickers and other threats to safe communities,” Cooper said.
See Cooper’s full statement below.
Keeping people safe from violent crime while making the criminal justice system fairer is the right thing to do. The President’s actions are in line with North Carolina’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice I appointed that recommended decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana. While the General Assembly has not yet acted on this, I believe it should. We need to end this stigma that can keep people from getting jobs and make sure law enforcement keeps its focus on fighting violent crime, drug traffickers and other threats to safe communities. I have also asked our lawyers to examine North Carolina law regarding simple possession of marijuana convictions and pardons to determine if there is action we can and should take. -Statement from Gov. Cooper on possible marijuana pardons
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