Biden said in a tweet on Thursday that the change in regulation will impact “thousands of people” who have been charged on simple marijuana possessions, which The New York Times reported could mean clearing up to 6,500 people who had been charged between 1992 and 2021.

“There are thousands of people who were previously convicted of simple possession who may be denied employment, housing or educational opportunities as a result,” Biden said. “My pardon will remove this burden.”

Biden also called upon state governors to follow in the federal government’s footsteps, asking leaders to pardon state marijuana possession charges as well.

Tom Wolf, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, wasted no time in announcing that he had issued a “one-time, large-scale pardon” for people with “minor, non-violent marijuana convictions” an hour after Biden’s tweet.

“Under Pennsylvania law, I don’t have unilateral pardon authority,” Wolf wrote. “But I’m doing everything I can to right the wrongs of the failed war on drugs.”

Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Texas, also tweeted his plans for reforming marijuana laws within an hour of Biden’s announcement.

“When I’m governor, we will finally legalize marijuana in Texas and expunge the records of those arrested for marijuana possession,” O’Rourke wrote.

Maura Healey, Democratic candidate for governor of Massachusetts, released a statement in favor of Biden’s decision, according to Boston Globe reporter Samantha Gross.

“Yes, as governor I would move to pardon state convictions for simple marijuana possession, modeled after the steps taken today by President Biden,” Healey said, according to the Globe.

Under Massachusetts law, residents over 21 years of age are legally allowed to purchase marijuana for recreational use.

Some governors restated their position on marijuana reform, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, whose office told Axios reporter Samuel Robinson in a statement that Whitmer “has been working to deliver the resources that law enforcement needs” to focus on “going after violent criminals” as the top priority.

Whitmer’s team also acknowledged a bill signed in 2020 that allows those convicted of misdemeanors, including marijuana offenses, to apply for streamlined expungement.

“This law is one of the most expensive pieces of expungement legislation in the nation,” the statement said. “It allows first time marijuana offenses to be expunged manually, and a process for automatic expungement for non-violent offices will go into effect next April.”

Steve Sisolak, the Democratic governor of Nevada, also acknowledged a bill that unanimously passed in 2020 in his state that would pardon “thousands” of residents who were convicted of minor marijuana charges.

“Nevada continues to lead the way,” Sisolak said.

Jared Polis, the governor of Colorado, said he was “thrilled to see” the president “follow Colorado’s lead,” paying tribute to a bill passed in 2020 that pardons Coloradans convicted of possessing small amounts of cannabis.

“Today’s federal action will change people’s lives and not block their success,” the Democrat said.

In Nevada, Colorado and Michigan, recreational use of marijuana is also legal.

Republican leaders across the aisle expressed concern over Biden’s pardon announcement, however, including Geoff Diehl, the GOP nominee for Massachusetts governor, who called Biden’s plan “outrageous,” according to the Globe.

“That’s the problem with this announcement,” Diehl wrote in a statement shared by Gross. “It’s the latest in a series of outrageous moves by President Biden to eliminate consequences for wrongful actions as he panders for votes for his party in the midterm election.”

Asa Hutchinson, the Republican governor of Arkansas, released a statement Thursday saying the pardon announcement from Biden was a “flag of surrender in the fight to save lives from drug abuse.”

“The Department of Justice should not issue blanket pardons but each case should be looked at individually,” Hutchinson said. “As Governor I have issued hundreds of pardons to those who have been convicted of drug offenses. But in this time of rising crime, there should be a clear record of law-abiding conduct before pardons are issued.”

News of the federal pardon was met with excitement from advocacy groups that have fought for years to reform marijuana laws, including the Drug Policy Alliance, who released a statement from Executive Director Kassandra Frederique that the organization was “thrilled about this announcement, and Biden must go further.”

“There is no reason that people should be saddled with a criminal record—preventing them from obtaining employment, housing, and countless other opportunities—for something that is already legal in 19 states and D.C. and decriminalized in 31 states,” Frederique wrote in the statement.

Newsweek reached out to the Biden administration for comment.