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Writer's pictureJason Beck

Biden Faces Pressure To Release Thousands Imprisoned For Federal Cannabis Convictions

A coalition of cannabis advocates is ramping up pressure on President Joe Biden to act on his promise of cannabis justice.



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On Tuesday, the Last Prisoner Project (LPP) and some of their partner organizations launched something called the Countdown for Clemency campaign. Basically, they’re telling Biden, "Hey, you’ve got to grant clemency to almost 3,000 people who are still locked up for federal marijuana offenses."


Activists Say Biden Needs to Do More


Even though Biden’s already pardoned thousands of folks with federal cannabis possession convictions, no one’s actually been released from prison yet. That’s where this new campaign comes in. They’re urging the president to use his clemency powers to fix that. Sarah Gersten, who runs LPP, said, “Time is running out on President Biden's term, but it is not too late for him to undo the harms inflicted on families impacted by cannabis criminalization."


To drive the point home, the campaign's website has a giant countdown clock, reminding everyone just how little time is left before Biden’s presidency wraps up. Yeah, those pardons cleared some people's records, but folks are still behind bars, and that’s the problem.


Polls show Americans are all for clemency when it comes to marijuana offenses. A whopping 84% of voters are down with letting people go who are in prison for cannabis-related crimes. And 72% said they support Biden’s previous pardons for non-violent possession offenses.


Congress Joins In


It’s not just advocates either—there’s movement in Congress too. Back in March, 36 lawmakers wrote to Biden, basically saying, "Hey, let’s commute these sentences already."


Biden, though, has been a bit more careful. He did mention at a campaign stop in Wisconsin that while he’s in favor of rescheduling marijuana, he sees a difference between people who use it and those who sell or grow it. “If you're out selling it, if you're out growing, it's a different deal," he said.


The Clock’s Running Out With 2024 Around the Corner


The 2024 election is coming up fast, and it looks like the administration knows people want action on cannabis reform. Both Biden and Kamala Harris have talked up their efforts to address the issue. Fun fact: They even made an announcement on April 20—yes, that 4/20, which is a big deal in cannabis culture. Harris has also called on the DEA to pick up the pace on reviewing marijuana’s classification under federal law.


But with just months left in Biden’s term, the pressure’s on. Thousands of people are still in prison for cannabis offenses, and time is ticking.

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