Biden Says He’s ‘Working On’ Fulfilling Marijuana Campaign Pledge To Free Prisoners

President Joe Biden says his administration is “engaged on” plans to satisfy his marketing campaign pledge to free people who find themselves incarcerated for marijuana. This marks the primary time that the president has publicly made a substantive remark about hashish coverage since taking workplace greater than a yr in the past.

“I don’t assume anybody ought to be in jail for using marijuana,” Biden stated in response to a query from The New York Publish’s Steven Nelson on Saturday night time after stepping off Marine One on the White Home garden.

“We’re engaged on the crime invoice now,” the president added —although it’s not clear what laws he was referring to.

White Home press employees didn’t reply to Marijuana Second’s request for clarification by time of publication.

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He proceeded to say he is ‘hoping’ inflation will go down and ‘engaged on’ releasing pot inmates https://t.co/NRl6ccmgRI pic.twitter.com/xEUHDHu4MS

— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) July 17, 2022

The president has acquired quite a few pleas from lawmakers and advocates to take govt motion on marijuana reform, with many urgent him particularly to make use of his authority to difficulty mass pardons for folks with non-violent federal hashish convictions.

However whereas Biden beforehand remarked on the marketing campaign path that he doesn’t assume folks ought to be imprisoned over easy marijuana offenses, he’s solely taken restricted steps to start out granting such aid since taking workplace. In April, he granted clemency to 78 people, and that included a handful of commutations for people who had been convicted for cannabis-related crimes.

That falls far wanting the mass pardons that lawmakers and advocates have been pushing for, in fact, however it was considered as a optimistic incremental step. Previous to that motion, the president had reserved his pardon energy to turkeys who were ceremonially spared round Thanksgiving.

Following that ceremony, The Publish’s Nelson pressed the president on hashish clemency, asking him if there have been plans to pardon “any folks along with turkeys.” Biden jokingly replied, “you want a pardon?” and didn’t reply to a follow-up query about marijuana prisoners. Till Saturday, that had been the extent of Biden’s commentary on hashish points for the reason that 2020 election.

Because the months have handed underneath the Biden administration, there’s been growing frustration over executive inaction, with many left questioning why the president has delayed taking a step that may arguably earn him bipartisan reward at a time his approval scores stay low.

Biden has acquired a few dozen letters from lawmakers, advocates, celebrities and folks impacted by criminalization to do something concerning the individuals who stay behind federal bars over hashish.

Six senators—together with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ)—despatched a letter to Biden earlier this month to specific their frustration over the administration’s “failure” to meaningfully address the harms of marijuana criminalization and use govt clemency authority to vary course.

They stated that the administration’s present stance is “harming hundreds of Individuals, slowing analysis, and depriving Individuals of their potential to make use of marijuana for medical or different functions.”

The just lately appointed U.S. pardon legal professional additionally just lately weighed in on the prospects of mass cannabis clemency, telling Marijuana Second that her workplace handles circumstances independently, however it might be empowered to difficulty broader commutations or pardons if directed by the president.

In gentle of Biden’s new feedback, it seems that the stress marketing campaign could also be poised to ship outcomes, even when the specifics on timing and scope stay unclear.

At a Home Judiciary Committee oversight listening to in Might, Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and different Democratic lawmakers confused the necessity for reforming the federal clemency process, calling for purposes to be streamlined to make it simpler for folks with non-violent federal drug convictions to get aid.

Late final yr, a coalition of congressional lawmakers launched the Truthful and Unbiased Consultants in Clemency (FIX Clemency) Act, a invoice that may take clemency review away from the Justice Department and as a substitute set up an impartial board appointed by the president.

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A report printed by the Congressional Analysis Service (CRS) final yr affirmed that the president has it inside his energy to grant mass pardons for cannabis offenses. It additionally stated that the administration can transfer to federally legalize hashish with out ready for lawmakers to behave.

The White Home has been requested concerning the difficulty a number of occasions. Former Press Secretary Jen Psaki had stated that the president has “each intention of utilizing his clemency energy” and is “taking a look at” aid for non-violent drug offenders.

Rahul Gupta, director of the Workplace of Nationwide Drug Management Coverage (ONDCP), stated final month that the Biden administration is “monitoring” states that have legalized marijuana to tell federal coverage, recognizing the failures of the present prohibitionist strategy.

Within the background of those administrative developments, congressional lawmakers have continued to work legislatively to place an finish to hashish criminalization.

A Senate invoice to federally legalize marijuana and promote social fairness that was first previewed final yr could finally be introduced as early as this week, two congressional sources conversant in the planning informed Marijuana Second on Friday. The Home passed a similar piece of legalization legislation for the second time in April.

Moreover, there are reportedly plans within the works to advance an alternative omnibus cannabis reform package if broad legalization doesn’t garner sufficient assist to be enacted. Places of work in each chambers are stated to be discussing a plan to advance what would successfully be a marijuana minibus of incremental reforms, addressing points like hashish banking protections, Small Enterprise Administration (SBA) program entry and marijuana analysis, for instance, however stopping wanting descheduling hashish.

Biden has maintained a steadfast opposition to adult-use marijuana legalization, so there’s nonetheless an open query about what he would do if complete reform laws made it to his desk. However within the interim, advocates will take any wins they’ll get from the traditionally prohibitionist president, which is why the temporary assertion from the president himself about energetic work on clemency is notable.

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