A group of 14 Democratic lawmakers is urging President Joe Biden to expand his marijuana pardons and deprioritize federal cannabis prosecutions before the end of his term.
In a letter addressed to Biden and VP Kamala Harris, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as well as Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), along with nine more colleagues applauded Biden for getting the ball rolling on cannabis rescheduling but that more needs to be done before he leaves office.
Rescheduling Cannabis Is Not Enough
"Moving marijuana to Schedule III represents progress, and we urge the Drug Enforcement Administration to complete that process as soon as possible. But it will not end federal criminalization, resolve its harms, or meaningfully address the gap between federal and state cannabis policy," the lawmakers said in the letter, which was first reported by Rolling Stone. "Possession and use of recreational marijuana—and much state-legal medical marijuana—will continue to be a violation of federal law."
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While lawmakers credited Biden for pardoning individuals with federal marijuana possession convictions, they rightly pointed out that these measures have resulted in no prison releases.
"President Biden should issue broader clemency — including another round of pardons and commutations to reduce sentences or end terms of incarceration — for individuals convicted of other cannabis-related offenses," the lawmakers wrote. "Additionally, the President should again urge state governors to expand marijuana clemency and decriminalize low-level marijuana conduct under state law."
The congress members urged the Biden administration to grant broader clemency, including additional pardons and sentence commutations; they encouraged governors to extend similar pardons at the state level.
Federal Convictions Still Persist
The second part of their request focused on issuing a memorandum to deprioritize federal enforcement against state-legal cannabis activity. Despite declining federal cannabis prosecutions due to state-level legalizations, the lawmakers noted that the threat of federal convictions persists.
Then there are the racial disparities in enforcement, the letter pointed out and further cited recent incidents where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized state-legal cannabis, including cases in New Mexico.
Signatories also include Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) as well as Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Dina Titus (D-NV), Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).
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Photo: Benzinga edit Adam Schultz on Wikimedia Commons and David Smart on Shutterstock
