Four months after President Joe Biden’s much-hyped pre-election promise to pardon those convicted of marijuana possession, it appears nothing has been done, Reason magazine’s Jacob Sullum reports.
On Oct. 6, 2022, just about four weeks before the midterm elections, Biden issued a blanket pardon to “all current United States citizens and lawful permanent residents who committed the offense of simple possession of marijuana in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.” The proposed pardons would not apply to those convicted of any other offense and would not expunge the conviction.
Sullum notes that, based on data from U.S. Sentencing Commission, around 10,000 people may meet the criteria for a pardon.
That is if Biden ever gets around to keeping his election-year promise.
Despite the Justice Department claiming Biden’s policy would be implemented quickly, no pardons have been issued, and it appears the Biden administration hasn’t even drawn up a formal process to actually grant the certificates.
“It’s not clear what the holdup is,” Sullum writes. “I’ve asked the Justice Department and will update this post if and when I receive a reply. But Biden, after reaping political benefits by announcing the pardons a month before the midterm elections, has not actually issued any.”
It appears Biden’s pot pardon announcement was a political stunt.
With Democrat consultants worried about lackluster turnout from young liberal voters and widespread disapproval of Biden’s job performance, the announcement may have been a ploy to get cheap support from voters.
“Nearly two-thirds of voters indicated that they support issuing pardons to people with nonviolent federal marijuana convictions,” POLITICO reported at the time.
“That includes 40 percent who strongly support Biden’s actions, as well as 25 percent who are somewhat supportive. In contrast, fewer than one in four respondents expressed opposition to pardoning marijuana offenders,” POLITICO added.
“Of particular note is that 71 percent of Millennials support Biden’s cannabis pardons and 68 percent support the process to review cannabis’ federal drug status. Millennial and Generation Z voters are a huge block of important voters for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections,” POLITICO noted.
But since that election, with Democrats holding off Republicans in the Senate and limiting their House losses based on strong support from young voters, people are still waiting to be told how they can apply for the certificate.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Come on man! Get with the program, Biden only does and says what he is told to, by whom one may ask? By the folks that have bribed him, with Rice as the clearing point!
Do Democrats ever keep their word on anything? If you ain’t figured that out yet, you’re on beyond help.
‘Dude, like, where’s my President?’