Joe Biden’s controversial pardon of his son Hunter Biden has seen pressure build on the outgoing US president to make good on his promises of widespread clemency for low-level cannabis convictions.
In October 2022, issues a presidential proclamation pardoning many federal and D.C. offenses for simple cannabis possession.
A year later, this proclamation was expanded to include several key categories to the list of pardoned offenses, including attempted possession of cannabis under federal law, additional simple cannabis possession offenses under the D.C. Code, and certain Code of Federal Regulations violations related to simple cannabis possession and use.
Despite these efforts, advocates have long criticized the move for being ineffective and too limited in scope, only covering federal offenses.
In September this year, the Last Prisoner Project (LLP) launched the #Countdown4Clemency campaign urging Biden to make good on his promise of granting clemency to thousands of US citizens still incarcerated for cannabis convictions.
At the time, the organization pointed out that Biden has only granted 1.6% of clemency petitions submitted during his presidency, and with only weeks left in his tenure, the LPP has called on his administration to release around 3000 people who remain incarcerated federally for cannabis-related crimes, many of which have been made legal in states since they were imprisoned.
While the president has issued categorical pardons, advocates point out that no individual has been released from prison for cannabis offenses under his administration’s clemency efforts.
Now that Biden has moved to issue a broad pardon for his son, covering any federal crimes he committed or may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024, the LLP and 67 Democratic members of Congress have called on him to significantly expand his efforts to pardon cannabis convicts before he leaves office.
Civil rights activists, lawmakers, and defense attorneys are also ramping up efforts to highlight compelling cases, with a focus on those who have been unfairly convicted or sentenced.
The Congressional Black Caucus, in particular, has emphasized the need for clemency in cases related to federal marijuana offenses, given the disproportionate impact of cannabis enforcement on African American communities.
During a White House press briefing on Friday, Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, was pressed about pardons for cannabis convictions.
While she avoided mentioning cannabis pardons specifically, she said: “There’s going to be more to speak to in the upcoming weeks.”
She added that Biden was taking calls for further clemency action ‘very seriously’, driving speculation more concrete action could be on the way.
