Biden offers 'second chances' to 16 people jailed for nonviolent drug sentences
Many of those granted pardons or commuted sentences had been given longer prison sentences than they would have under current law.
Reposted with different source as requested by mods.
Getting "Clash of Clans: Presidential Edition!" vibes from the thumbnail, lol.
Anywho, yay for forgiving stupid sentences for stupid laws. 16 seems a little weak though... why not just scrap the entire law that's landing prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenses?
why not just scrap the entire law that's landing prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenses?
You really, really need to get caught up on the basics of how our government works before forming any strong political opinions. The president has no ability to "scrap entire laws" and that's entirely intentional and part of the foundation of the American political system.
He started the process of rescheduling. The HHS recommended schedule 3, and we’re awaiting DEA approval. You can thank Congress for tying the DEA’s funding to their arrest count for the stalling. Independently of rescheduling, Congress alone can roll back federal regulations to decriminalize possession, but half of them prefer having full prisons.
The only other way he could override the law is by Executive Order. Those are temporary orders meant to address a crisis while proper legislation is put in place. Issuing an Executive Order without certainty of follow-up legislation would be extremely disruptive to the cannabis industry when it expires.
President can only pardon or commute federal convictions/sentences. Note that all of the commuted sentences are for trafficking cocaine. The pardons for "non-violent drug offenses" were very likely for growing or trafficking of marijuana, as federal prosecution for possession is vanishingly rare.
