In a letter to President Joe Biden, more than 130 immigration and human rights groups begged him to make his pardon for marijuana possession universal.
The groups are pressing the President to do more for those who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents, who were specifically excluded from the pardon, as he continues to publicize the cannabis clemency decision ahead of the election, while highlighting the restrictions of the relief.
A recent article stated that, a 2016 report by the United States Sentencing Commission (USCC), the majority (92%) of federal marijuana possession cases in FY2013 happened along the U.S. Southern border, and the vast majority (94%) of those people were not U.S. citizens. Although the numbers have changed from one year to the next, they nevertheless reveal a general pattern of federal law enforcement.
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh promised that the government would do all in its power to remove any barriers to employment for those who had federal marijuana convictions expunged as a result of the presidential proclamation.
In light of the President’s cannabis pardons, Vice President Kamala Harris said last month that people should elect senators who support marijuana legalization so that Congress can legislate a “consistent approach” to the issue.
Numerous polls have revealed that the majority of Americans do not believe that marijuana should be categorized as a federal Schedule I substance, and they also overwhelmingly support the President’s pardon move.
Read the text of the letter to Biden regarding marijuana pardons, written by immigration and human rights organizations.
