In a move that has been widely lauded as justice for many, President Joe Biden has pardoned more marijuana offenses in D.C., as part of his expansive 2022 clemency initiative.
The latest action is part of the Obama administration’s move to roll back a 1985 federal law that reinstated penalties for possession and distribution of marijuana in Washington, D.C. The Biden administration’s clemency announcement will include pardons for anyone charged with misdemeanor marijuana offenses since the law went into effect in 2014.
The grant of clemency to those convicted of marijuana offenses in D.C. is part of a larger effort by the Biden administration to review thousands of federal drug cases and has been met with applause by organizations such as the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The move is seen as an important step in dismantling systemic racism within the criminal justice system, as African Americans are disproportionately impacted by marijuana criminalization.
The DPA believes the new clemency initiative could have a direct and immediate impact on individuals, particularly those with felonies and long criminal records, by providing relief from harsh federal sentences. The decision also sends a powerful message to federal prosecutors that they should revisit old convictions and re-evaluate individual cases, and follow the lead of their state counterparts who have been prioritizing fair and balanced approaches to drug regulation, and have begun to shift away from using the criminal justice system for drug related offenses.
The DPA emphasized that although this is a large move, the ultimate goal of eliminating all aspects of the federal war on drugs requires more comprehensive action from Congress and local authorities.
In the meantime, those affected by Biden’s new clemency initiative now have reason to hope that their criminal records will be re-examined and potentially reduced, allowing them to better re-enter society as law-abiding citizens.
