Nonprofit Group Calls On Biden To Pardon Cannabis Prisoners

The Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit group working to secure the release of all cannabis prisoners, called on President Joseph Biden this week to use his clemency powers to free thousands of individuals incarcerated for federal marijuana-related offenses that are now legal in many states. The group noted that the president on Monday pardoned two turkeys in an annual Thanksgiving tradition and urged him to “#PardonPeopleNotPoultry.”

Two years ago, Biden issued a mass pardon for thousands of Americans convicted of federal offenses for simple cannabis possession. He expanded the clemency late last year to include thousands more convicted of use and possession of marijuana on federal lands and the District of Columbia. In a statement, Biden said the pardons reflects his position that “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.”

“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” he added, according to an October 2022 report from the Associated Press. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

Despite these actions, the Last Prisoner Project (LPP) notes in a statement that Biden “has yet to release a single person still incarcerated for cannabis through commutation.” Although the pardons granted relief to thousands of people with a conviction on their records, the president’s clemency actions did not address the approximately 3,000 individuals serving time in federal prisons for cannabis related offenses.

Less Than 2% Of Clemency Petitions Approved

Sarah Gersten, LPP executive director and general counsel, notes in an email that the Biden administration has granted only 1.6% of the clemency petitions submitted during his presidency, according to a report from Axios, the worst in modern presidential history. Additionally, 84% of voters support the release of those incarcerated for offenses that have since been legalized, according to a 2020 ACLU study.

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“If President Biden truly wants to leave a positive legacy on social and racial justice it is imperative that he use the tools afforded to him by the executive clemency power to reform our criminal justice system and release the nearly 3,000 federal cannabis prisoners,” Gersten writes.

Members Of Congress Call On Biden To Grant Clemency To Cannabis Prisoners

Last week, LPP representatives joined members of Congress, justice advocates, formerly incarcerated individuals and their families on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with an open letter to the president. The letter called on Biden to “use your clemency authority to rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges.” The letter asked the president to issue pardons for those still in federal prison for cannabis offenses before his term ends in January.

“We urge you to use your executive clemency power to reunite families, address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration,” more than 50 lawmakers wrote in the letter, according to a statement from LPP.

“While cannabis is now legal in Minnesota and many states across America, thousands remain behind bars in federal prisons for the same substance – a reminder of the work still ahead,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, said on the Capitol steps on November 20. “President Biden still has time to build on his initial pardons and take decisive action. He can extend clemency to every person still serving time for federal cannabis offenses, many of whom have already spent decades behind bars. In Minnesota, we’ve shown that cannabis legalization and expungement can move hand in hand. Now it’s time for federal action to match this progress.”

LPP is urging supporters to send a letter to the White House urging President Biden to prioritize granting clemency to those Americans with unjust cannabis sentences over a turkey this Thanksgiving by visiting PeopleNotPoultry.com.