Christmas has come early for some as President Joe Biden announced the commutation of 11 nonviolent drug offenders and moved to pardon thousands convicted of simple possession and use of marijuana on federal lands.
“It’s time that we right these wrongs,” Biden said in a statement released Friday morning.
Biden announced that the nearly dozen people having their sentences commuted had served “disproportionately” long sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, explaining, “All of them would have been eligible to receive significantly lower sentences if they were charged with the same offense today.”
The president also signed a proclamation issuing additional pardons for marijuana offenses following a spate of pardons in October 2022.
“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” said Biden. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana.”
The president vowed that his administration will continue to review clemency petitions and “deliver reforms that advance equal justice, address racial disparities, strengthen public safety, and enhance the wellbeing of all Americans.”
Biden’s Friday announcement was quickly praised by Democrats and advocates.
“This is a big step towards progress,” said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist who has worked on presidential and other national campaigns.
He told theGrio, “This further indicates that this president understands the needs and the actions of those who have traditionally been left behind, including marginalized communities.”
Markus Batchelor, the national political director at People For the American Way, called Biden’s actions “an incredibly important step in helping to heal harm inflicted by the war on drugs.”
He told theGrio that it gives “real people,” who are disproportionately Black, “new…
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