In one of his final acts as Commander-in-Chief, President Joe Biden announced he is commuting the sentences of roughly 2,500 non-violent drug offenders. In a statement from the White House, Biden said the clemency action is directed at people “serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice.”
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The statement specifically called out “individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes.”
The crack epidemic of the 1980s led lawmakers to enact strict mandatory minimum sentences for possession and distribution of the drug, an initiative then-Senator Biden led. The legislation disproportionately affected Black Americans, and Biden eventually called the disparity a “profound mistake.” Now, decades later, he’s seemingly trying to atone.
“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs,” Biden’s statement read.
The lengthy list of clemency recipients includes a wide range of cases, including a number of pot prisoners. The Biden administration had been vocal about cannabis reform, with Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly saying, “No one should be in prison for marijuana.” Calls for the release of non-violent pot prisoners like Edwin Rubis (who was not on the most recent list of commutations) have intensified in recent months, but it remains to be seen if Biden will heed the call.
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Biden issued around 1,500 commutations in December and now holds the record for most by a sitting president. However, the majority of commutations at that point were to people already on home monitoring programs post-COVID.
The president added he would be considering additional commutations and pardons as the clock counts down to his exit from the Oval Office. With only a few days remaining, many in the cannabis space hope Biden frees more of their friends and colleagues before he’s gone for good.
*This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information is released.
