What Do We Know About the Importance of Medical Marijuana Penalties? The Case of Biden, Fetterman, and O’Rourke

President Biden announced this month an executive order to pardon federal, simple marijuana possession charges for thousands of Americans – an important first step, advocates say, to reversing decades of uneven drug enforcement policy that has historically burdened Black communities.

There are a lot of key Democratic contests that could decide control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as the Republicans are branding Democrats soft on crime in an effort to sway them.

The President’s move is limited, for now, and does not go as far as legalizing the drug – an issue that is central to some campaigns this fall – including that of Pennsylvania’s Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, whose bid for Senate is Democrats’ best chance of flipping a seat and could decide the destiny of the chamber.

“Despite the legalization of marijuana in many states, the federal ban has resulted in too many arrests and prosecutions of Black and Brown people, fueling mass incarceration and the devastation of our communities,” Wiley said.

Officials in any administration often balk at the suggestion their moves are purely motivated by politics. This is a highly political move because Biden’s decision on this is a fulfillment of his campaign promise, and it is being rolled out just weeks before the election.

With the cancellation of federal student loan debt in mind, this decision looks like an attempt to get more younger voters to go to the polls, who are often hard to persuade to vote in a midterm election. Democratic hopes of fending off a Republican red wave in November have been boosted by increased base enthusiasm following the Supreme Court’s abortion decision – a trend that Biden’s marijuana pardons could extend. The economy and inflation are the two most important issues to voters in Nevada and Arizona, according to two new CNN polls, which show a strong threat to the democrats given their power in Washington.

One Democrat made an immediate attempt to exploit Biden’s move for his campaign. Beto O’Rourke pledged to expunge the records of people arrested for marijuana possession when he was governor of Texas.

In some ways, the debate over the legal status of marijuana parallels the changing social attitudes that drove the fight to legalize same sex marriage, in that the public appeared to be well ahead of political leaders on the issue.

The National Institutes of Health reported in August that the use of marijuana by young adults had reached all-time highs. A majority of that group reported using weed over the last year, which was up from 34% in 2016 and 29% in 2011.

Last year, Gallup found that the majority of Americans were in favor of legalization of marijuana. The figure is in line with the bipartisan support for the President as he begins his debate on marijuana. This is also indicative of the move by the Republican-controlled Legislature to decriminalize or legalized marijuana from Oregon to South Dakota. According to Marijuana Policy Project, a total of 19 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for use by adults over the age of 21.

There is some concern about being branded soft on drugs and the possibility that decriminalizing pot could lead to greater drug use among young people. Earlier this year, for example, Delaware’s Democratic Gov. John Carney vetoed a bill that would have legalized recreational use of marijuana, citing uncertainty about long-term health, its impact on young people and law enforcement concerns.

Abbott wasn’t ready to follow the President’s orders, and laid out how some republican candidates might respond.

“Texas is not in the habit of taking criminal justice advice from the leader of the defund police party and someone who has overseen a criminal justice system run amuck with cashless bail and a revolving door for violent criminals,” Abbott campaign spokesperson Renae Eze said. Some of this year’s Democratic nominees don’t support defunding the police.

Reply to the Censorship and Protection of Drunk Drivers” Report on the ‘The War on Drugs’

But Americans for Prosperity, the libertarian advocacy group that has often been a force in GOP politics, praised the President’s decision, underscoring how the marijuana issue doesn’t always follow straight party lines.

The criminal justice system should not focus on incarcerating people who are not threats to public safety, said the senior vice president of government affairs.

“Marijuana remains a federally scheduled controlled substance, but that has not stopped more and more states and localities from legalizing it under their own laws. This has led to an explosion of marijuana use among children, which is having a hugely negative impact on their health,” the report said.

The Republican Study Committee, a leading House GOP caucus, released a report last week with policy recommendations for conservatives and opposition to moves to make marijuana more accepted.

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said that President Biden’s executive order would benefit thousands of people and families harmed by our broken cannabis laws. “This is a huge step forward toward a more just criminal justice system and more rational drug policy.”

And Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said Biden had righted a historic wrong and warned that the “war on drugs” had harmed communities of color.

Everyone in America has the right to live safely, provide for their families, and build the future they want regardless of race or background. We urge Congress to pass comprehensive drug reform legislation and send it to the president’s desk.”

A State-level Pardon for Drug-related Crimes and Second-degree Murder as a Signal of Justice for the United States War on Drugs

Governors should follow Mr. Bidens’s advice for people convicted on state charges of possession of less than 500 grams, who overwhelmingly outnumber those charged under federal laws.

The United States’ War on Drugs was begun by the administration of disgraced President Richard Nixon and claimed to help curb the interstate trade and use of illegal drugs.

“We’ve seen since the 1970s that marijuana policy was intentionally and malevolently constructed to target the African American community,” Willoughby said. Many people have been caught up in that and have been denied the benefits of being in this country because of a sinister policy.

Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people for conduct which is legal and which is disproportionately applied to the African-American community have been derailed by this.

The order will not lead to the release of any federal prisoners because there are no individuals in federal prison currently for simple marijuana offenses.

Some marijuana advocates wanted more to be done to fight marijuana charges on the state level, where most offenses occur.

“These pardons certainly have an impact of removing some of these collateral consequences for individuals,” said Eliana Green, senior policy advisor at the Hood Incubator, a nonprofit organization for cannabis justice reform. But, she continued, “we definitely, at the state levels, need to be creating more record cleaning remedies for folks and avenues for folks to be able to remove these collateral consequences that are imputed on them.”

Biden’s new pledge, coupled with the White House’s recent announcement to forgive student debt for millions of borrowers, highlight his effort to court young and Black voters – two key Democratic voting blocs – ahead of hotly contested midterm races.

President Joe Biden pardoned six individuals Friday who had already completed sentences for their offenses, including drug-related crimes and second-degree murder, and had become active in their communities following their release.

The 2012 Florida Shooting of Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, Gary Parks Davis, and Edward Lincoln De Coito III

The list includes Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, an 80-year-old Ohio woman who was convicted of murder for shooting her husband when she was 33. She testified her husband physically assaulted her and threatened her in the moments before she killed him, but the court did not allow expert testimony regarding “battered woman syndrome.” On appeal, she was sentenced to a term of up to five years, a moment considered significant toward judicial recognition of battered woman syndrome.

Also on the list is a 66-year-old Arizona man, Gary Parks Davis, who pleaded guilty to using a telephone to conduct a cocaine transaction when he was 22. He earned a degree and volunteered in his community after serving 6 months of a six month sentence.

Edward Lincoln De Coito III was sentenced to 25 years in prison for marijuana possession at the age of 23. He served more than a year in prison and has since served in the US Army and Army reserves.

When he was 19 years old, he was guilty of consuming ecstasy and alcohol after serving in the military. He was sentenced to four months confinement, but he still remained on duty, earning several honors from the military.

Senior military leaders told Trump at the time that a presidential pardon could affect the integrity of the military judicial system and the ability of military leaders to ensure good order and discipline.

Jackson, a South Carolina man, pleaded guilty to an illegal whiskey transaction when he was 18. After completing his probation in 1969, he’s been active in his community, including helping renovate his church.

The 72-year-old Florida man pleaded guilty to a charge relating to a marijuana grow house. He has been working as a general contractor since finishing community confinement in 1997 and has also helped to mentor younger people looking to join the profession.

“President Biden believes America is a nation of second chances, and that offering meaningful opportunities for redemption and rehabilitation empowers those who have been incarcerated to become productive, law-abiding members of society,” a White House official said Friday. The President is committed to giving second chances to individuals who have shown their rehabilitation.