{"id":832450,"date":"2022-10-07T18:16:28","date_gmt":"2022-10-07T18:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=c5833d698a624ef45fac12a56763d907"},"modified":"2022-10-07T18:16:28","modified_gmt":"2022-10-07T18:16:28","slug":"bidens-action-on-weed-convictions-is-a-first-step-lets-push-for-much-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/10\/07\/bidens-action-on-weed-convictions-is-a-first-step-lets-push-for-much-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden\u2019s Action on Weed Convictions Is a First Step \u2014 Let\u2019s Push for Much More"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Biden\u2019s announcement yesterday on marijuana<\/a> was exactly the bold leadership we needed from this administration \u2014 ahead of the critical midterm elections in one month \u2014 and a step in the right direction for what must come next if he is to attempt to right the many wrongs of the 1994 crime bill, which he had championed as a senator, and which imposed automatic life sentences for people upon their third offense if they already had two prior felony convictions on their records.<\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s executive order on marijuana did three key things: 1) Unconditionally pardoned people with federal convictions for simple marijuana possession; 2) called on governors to follow suit by issuing pardons for state-level marijuana possession offenses; and 3) directed the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to \u201cinitiate the process of reviewing how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.\u201d<\/p>\n

These orders taken together are beyond a \u201cgame changer.\u201d They are life-changing for thousands of Americans living with federal marijuana convictions \u2014 primarily those who have already served their sentences but have continued to carry the stigma and experience the collateral consequences of those convictions.<\/p>\n

While some may sniff at the decision to offer pardons to only about 6,500 people, that is still one of the highest numbers of pardons granted by any U.S. president in history. For those 6,500 Americans, it absolutely will change their lives for the better. By wiping records clean, Biden is opening up access to workforce and housing opportunities, as well as creating a pathway for people to finally participate in the new \u201cgreen\u201d economy of legal marijuana<\/a> in states across the country.<\/p>\n

Black and Brown folks have disproportionately been impacted by the so-called \u201cwar on drugs\u201d and the era of mass incarceration that followed. It\u2019s past time to not only reverse the damages it has caused but to open the doors of opportunity, so that it\u2019s no longer primarily white men getting rich off of selling marijuana, something primarily Black men went to prison over for so many years.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most importantly, Biden has thrown down the proverbial gauntlet, by calling on state governors to follow his example. Now, no elected governor or candidate running for higher office in this upcoming midterm election can say, \u201cSorry, we can\u2019t do it.\u201d Yes, you can! The president just took all of your excuses off the table. Your move! Which governors and state candidates are now going to step up?<\/p>\n

Already, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf \u2014 a Democrat who is running for reelection \u2014 announced<\/a>, \u201cI just coordinated a one-time, large-scale pardon effort for people with certain minor, non-violent marijuana convictions. Under Pennsylvania law, I don\u2019t have unilateral pardon authority \u2014 but I\u2019m doing everything I can …\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O\u2019Rourke tweeted<\/a>, \u201cWhen I\u2019m governor, we will finally legalize marijuana in Texas and expunge the records of those arrested for marijuana possession.\u201d Other Democrats running for state offices issued similar promises, as well, while Republicans so far have remained mostly silent.<\/p>\n