Missouri’s governor will not grant a blanket pardon to those convicted on minor marijuana offenses after President Joe Biden pardoned federal convictions and urged governors to do the same at the state level.
A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Mike Parson said Biden’s declaration Thursday “does not implicate state law in any way,” and that Parson would not alter how he handled pardons for simple possession of marijuana.
“In Missouri, those with criminal records can apply for expungement under state law,” spokesperson Kelli Jones said in a statement. “Gov. Parson has used his state constitutional authority to grant pardons to individuals who demonstrate a changed life-style, commitment to rehabilitation, contrition, and contribution to their communities – rather than as a blanket approach to undermine existing law.”
Parson has granted more pardons during his administration than any governor in recent history, announcing new commutations and clemency weekly.
Biden, in a policy announcement a month before November’s election, said Thursday he had also instructed the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to conduct a “scientific review” on how marijuana is scheduled under federal law, which could change how convictions and sentencing relating to the drug are handled. [Read more at Springfield News-Leader]
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