President Biden, People Are Still In Jail For Marijuana Despite Your Promise, Cannabis Clemency Advocates

As Thanksgiving approaches, the Last Prisoner Project (LPP) called on President Biden to fulfill his promise that "no one should be in jail for marijuana" by granting clemency to individuals still incarcerated for nonviolent cannabis offenses.

The non-profit cannabis justice reform organization reminded that there's only two months remaining in the #Countdown4Clemency campaign, and that an impending change in administration highlights the urgency for President to take action.

LPP stressed that Biden has not released a single person still incarcerated for cannabis through commutation. While his categorical pardons provided record relief to thousands of people with cannabis possession convictions, this move alone does not address the estimated 3,000 people still serving time in federal prisons for cannabis offenses.

Ahead of the annual presidential tradition of pardoning turkeys, LPP is asking President Biden to #PardonPeopleNotPoultry and end the continued incarceration of thousands for cannabis-related offenses that are now legal in many states.

A YouGov poll released in August indicated that cannabis pardons was one of the most popular policies of Biden's entire administration. Meanwhile, polls show that 84% of registered voters favor releasing people still in prison when their convictions are no longer considered crimes, like cannabis-related offenses.

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Governors Took Action

At the state level, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly was the first to kick off the holiday clemency season granting clemency last week to LPP constituent Deshaun T. Durham, a 24-year-old who was sentenced to 92 months for a first-time cannabis offense, setting a powerful precedent for others to follow. Other recent actions by state leaders like Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who used LPP's #PenToRightHistory to pardon over 175,000 individuals for cannabis-related charges, highlight the growing momentum for cannabis clemency.

More Still Behind Bars

Yet, for other Marylanders like Jonathan Wall, incarcerated on an 8-year federal cannabis charge, can only get that type of clemency relief from the president. Then, there's Ricardo Ashmeade, who is serving a 22-year sentence due to the three-strikes law championed by then-Senator Biden. His daughter, Richeda Ashmeade, has been separated from her father for 16 years. In addition to Ricardo, individuals like Edwin Rubis, who is serving a 40-year sentence for a cannabis-related offense, and David Lopez, who has faced years behind bars for court errors on his cannabis charges, exemplify the urgent need for clemency.

Along with its 420 Unity Coalition partners, LPP will hold a press conference in Washington D.C. next week to encourage people to call President Biden to urge him to reunite these families before the holidays and send letters to the White House to grant cannabis clemency before the end of his term.

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President Biden, People Are Still In Jail For Marijuana Despite Your Promise, Cannabis Clemency Advocates Call For Change

Governors Took Action

More Still Behind Bars