Biden's marijuana pardon "wrong signal" to drive crime higher: WSJ

Photo taken on Sept. 30, 2022 shows U.S. President Joe Biden speaking during an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

NEW YORK, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden's lastest pardon for criminals convicted of marijuana possession under federal law is minimizing the dangers of drug use and has "sent the country the wrong signal at the wrong time," The Wall Street Journal has said.

Biden announced on Thursday that he's pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession, while the United States has been under criticism over the push to legalize marijuana nationwide.

However, "federal convictions for marijuana crimes are typically not for simple possession," the paper said in an opinion piece, adding that the federal government is actually "underreacting" to illegal marijuana use.

"Illegal drug use is a catalyst for crime, which has been rising even as states around the country have liberalized their marijuana laws," it noted.

As today's marijuana gets more potent and young people are using it more frequently, "with higher use has come an associated rise in mental-health problems and crime," it added.

"If President Biden had really wanted to do something about the problems facing our cities and states -- rising crime, addiction and overdose deaths -- he might have done something to prevent illegal drug use," said the article.