Biden's Recent Cannabis Pardons Don't Apply To Military Members But There's A Comforting Prospect

President Biden's recent pardon of thousands of people for use or possession of cannabis on federal lands and in DC does not apply to offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), a White House official told Military.com on Tuesday. 

Not Surprising, But Here’s A Comforting Prospect

Eric Carpenter, an associate law professor at Florida International University who specializes in military justice, says it is not surprising that the new pardons don’t apply to the military. “He left out service members when he did something similar in 2022,” Carpenter said referring to Biden's October 2022 pardons. “Drug use in the military is more serious than recreational, civilian drug use because it impacts good order and discipline." 

See Also: Bipartisan Effort Seeks Legal Cannabis For Veterans Through VA: Doctors Should Decide What's Best For Each Patient

The associate professor explained that UCMJ, which deals with active and retired service members, applies before federal or state laws are applied. 

While cannabis possession charges could result in a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and a two-year maximum sentence, they rarely do. In practice, the punishments are commonly less harsh.

Even though service members are not included in pardons, there’s one comforting prospect of the proclamation that applies to the army. New pardons expand the number of qualified applicants. According to a Pentagon study, as many as 77% of young Americans are not suitable for military service, out of which 8% can be attributed to substance and alcohol use. 

See Also: Air Force Grants 3X More Cannabis Waivers Than Expected, Still Misses Its Recruiting Goals

Majority Of Veterans Want Medical Marijuana Access 

According to a new survey conducted by researchers at Ohio State University, the majority of veterans and their family members would like to see improvements in medical marijuana access, writes NORML.

The survey questioned the stances of 315 active and veteran military personnel and 426 military family members. 79% of veteran respondents and 92% of their family members said, “Veterans Administration doctors should be legally allowed to recommend marijuana to veterans if the doctor believes the patient could benefit from [it.].”

Furthermore, the survey showed that psychedelics also garnered strong support with 64% of veterans and 78% of their family members agreeing that doctors would be able to recommend psychedelics therapy if they thought it could help the patient.

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by RDNE Stock project via Pexels, Adam Schultz via Wikimedia Commons and OpenClipart-Vectors via Pixabay