Joe Biden’s controversial pardon of his son Hunter Biden has seen stress construct on the outgoing US president to make good on his guarantees of widespread clemency for low-level hashish convictions.
In October 2022, points a presidential proclamation pardoning many federal and D.C. offenses for easy hashish possession.
A 12 months later, this proclamation was expanded to incorporate a number of key classes to the checklist of pardoned offenses, together with tried possession of hashish underneath federal legislation, extra easy hashish possession offenses underneath the D.C. Code, and sure Code of Federal Rules violations associated to easy hashish possession and use.
Regardless of these efforts, advocates have lengthy criticized the transfer for being ineffective and too restricted in scope, solely masking federal offenses.
In September this 12 months, the Final Prisoner Mission (LLP) launched the #Countdown4Clemency marketing campaign urging Biden to make good on his promise of granting clemency to hundreds of US residents nonetheless incarcerated for hashish convictions.
On the time, the group identified that Biden has solely granted 1.6% of clemency petitions submitted throughout his presidency, and with solely weeks left in his tenure, the LPP has referred to as on his administration to launch round 3000 individuals who stay incarcerated federally for cannabis-related crimes, a lot of which have been made authorized in states since they had been imprisoned.
Whereas the president has issued categorical pardons, advocates level out that no particular person has been launched from jail for hashish offenses underneath his administration’s clemency efforts.
Now that Biden has moved to concern a broad pardon for his son, masking any federal crimes he dedicated or could have dedicated between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024, the LLP and 67 Democratic members of Congress have referred to as on him to considerably increase his efforts to pardon hashish convicts earlier than he leaves workplace.
Civil rights activists, lawmakers, and protection attorneys are additionally ramping up efforts to focus on compelling instances, with a concentrate on those that have been unfairly convicted or sentenced.
The Congressional Black Caucus, specifically, has emphasised the necessity for clemency in instances associated to federal marijuana offenses, given the disproportionate affect of hashish enforcement on African American communities.
Throughout a White Home press briefing on Friday, Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, was pressed about pardons for hashish convictions.
Whereas she averted mentioning hashish pardons particularly, she stated: “There’s going to be extra to talk to within the upcoming weeks.”
She added that Biden was taking requires additional clemency motion ‘very significantly’, driving hypothesis extra concrete motion might be on the best way.
