Biden Is Working On Granting Clemency For Those With Past Federal Drug Charges
Recently President Biden has been working on ways to use his executive authority for many reasons. As of late using his executive authority to grant clemency to people with certain non-violent drug convictions has been a topic of conversation. Said, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Questions came forth in regards to federal inmates who were released to home confinement during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. However, these people will have to return to jail at some point. Adding to this Psaki said the administration is “working hard every day to reform our justice system in order to strengthen families, boost our economy, give people a chance at a better future.”
“As part of this, the president is deeply committed to reducing incarceration, helping people successfully reenter society. And he has said too many people are incarcerated—too many are black and brown,” she said. “And he is therefore exploring multiple avenues to provide relief to certain nonviolent drug offenders, including through the use of his clemency power.”
What Is Next For People With Cannabis Convictions Seeking Clemency
Psaki also mentioned that there’s nothing tangible to see at this period. Yet Biden is “looking at a range of avenues” for relief. During Wednesday’s meeting talks about when Biden was a senator and helped to enact punitive drug laws were not spoken off. This also contributed to the mass incarceration he’s now thinking ways to resolve were also left out of the briefing.
The steps for Clemency that Biden could initiate start by commuting the sentences of people who are currently incarcerated. In addition to or pardoning people whose records hinder their abilities to find employment, vote, or otherwise partake in society.
The President has endured criticism from drug policy reform advocates. The advocates have become frustrated that he has not kept his campaign commitment to decriminalizing marijuana.
As Biden’s stance is still in opposition to better cannabis legislation action should be taken to set modest reform. President Biden also made promises to expunging previous cannabis records. As well as upholding the rights of states to establish their own marijuana laws.
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Final Thoughts On Clemency For People With Federal Drug Convictions
Once Joe Biden was made his way into the White House his administration has failed to make good on any of the promises. Rather the President terminated his own White House employees over marijuana. He then attempted to stretch a budget provision that has prevented Washington, D.C. from legalizing the sale of cannabis.
Back In April, Psaki was confronted on Biden’s clemency promise for people with federal marijuana. From this Psaki said that process will begin with modestly rescheduling marijuana. This is a bill that advocates say wouldn’t truly achieve the main objective of whats she proposing.
By taking cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act, it wouldn’t help with mass clemency. The reason is being convicted for crimes related to drugs Schedule II category also holds significant penalties. By lowering marijuana to Schedule II it would be in the same bracket as cocaine.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders has gone on to say that Biden could and should use executive authority. Sanders made this comment in a recent interview in regards to Biden ending federal marijuana prohibition on his own. However, both parties. have “differences” when it comes to drug policy. There are, nonetheless, legal questions about whether a president could actually legalize cannabis on his own given existing statutes.
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