On October 7, President Biden announced he was providing about 6,557 pardons for federal cannabis possession convictions. Now, it is estimated that over 2 million Americans have had their convictions reversed or expunged.

California, Washington DC, and Rhode Island were added to the list (with CT, NV, NJ, NY, and MT) of states with protections for workers who use cannabis recreationally. Several more medical states added employment protections for their patients as well.

Surveys showed increasing support for cannabis legalization, conviction expungement, and other related laws. 74% of Americans now support ending the federal ban.

Since 1937, research in the US has been limited by the federal government. With the passing of HR5657, researchers in the US now have a far greater opportunity to study cannabis- and not just the potential harms but the actual health benefits too! In fact, now the majority of published papers "focus... on the therapeutic potential of the plant."