Will Mike DeWine pardon those convicted of marijuana possession?

President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is pardoning more than 6,500 people convicted of simple possession of marijuana. And he’s asking governors across the country to do the same.

Gov. Mike DeWine, through a spokesman, said he’s reviewing Biden’s request. But most Ohioans aren’t going to prison for marijuana possession. Mandatory prison time doesn’t kick in until someone has 20 kilograms of marijuana, enough for 40,000 joints if each is a half-gram.

Anything less than 100 grams of marijuana is a minor misdemeanor in Ohio, punishable by a fine of up to $150. And some cities have eliminated fines entirely.

Ohio also doesn’t issue blanket pardons, DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said. Each person would have to apply individually.

But other governors are taking that step. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is offering pardons for people with minor marijuana-related convictions. As of last month, more than 2,500 people had applied, according to the governor’s office.

DeWine, a Republican former prosecutor, has long opposed legalizing recreational marijuana.

“I think that’s a mistake. I think you change the culture and you send a signal to kids,” DeWine told the USA TODAY Network Ohio bureau earlier this year. “…If it’s legal, every kid, the message is it’s okay.”

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, in a tweet, slammed Biden for what he called “the most political, cynical abuse of the pardon power in history.” Yost, a Republican, has advocated for declassifying marijuana.

DeWine’s Democratic challenger, former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, said she would work to expunge the records of individuals convicted of minor marijuana possession. “I am encouraged to hear the (Biden) administration is following through on its commitment to address criminal justice reform.”

What does this mean in Ohio?

“Technically, it means nothing for anyone convicted under Ohio law at any level. That’s an important point. It’s just federal offenders. And there are probably precious few of those in Ohio,” said Ohio State University law professor Douglas Berman, who heads the OSU Drug Enforcement and Policy Center.

If DeWine were to issue blanket pardons for misdemeanor marijuana possession, it would likely impact tens of thousands of Ohioans.

The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center released a study in August that found 3.3% of adult Columbus residents have been charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana but only 0.56% of Columbus adults have convictions.

The data show 15.3% of adult Black men in Columbus have been charged with a misdemeanor of marijuana possession.

Berman said extrapolating that to Ohio’s 7 million adults, roughly 230,000 people would have faced marijuana possession charges and about 40,000 would have convictions.

USA TODAY contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Gov. DeWine reviewing request to pardon marijuana convictions