Posted on 10/07/2022 2:29:29 PM PDT by Steely Tom
‘By extending a pardon to these individuals, you would enable them an opportunity to begin a new chapter of their lives.’
Less than a day after President Joe Biden announced his administration was pardoning all Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana, Democratic Miami Gardens Sen. Shervin Jones is asking Florida’s chief executive to do the same.
On Friday, Jones called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to extend “a similar policy” for all Florida citizens with prior convictions of simple possession of marijuana — having a small quantity of the drug for personal consumption.
“As you may know, the majority of possession convictions happen at the state level rather than at the federal level, which means that without similar action here in Florida, many Floridians will still carry the burden of their conviction,” Jones wrote in a letter.
Were the Governor to take such action, it wouldn’t be the first time he used the influence and power of his office to overturn convictions.
Last year, DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, operating as the Office of Executive Clemency, voted 3-1 to pardon every Floridian penalized for violating local COVID-19 health guidelines.
And in January 2019, just three days after taking office, the office unanimously agreed to pardon a group of Black men known as the Groveland Four convicted rape more than 70 years ago in trials wrought with evidence of injustice.
Jones invoked the latter pardon in advocating for forgiveness for marijuana users whose futures grew murkier after being convicted of possession.
“By extending clemency to these four wrongly convicted men, you acknowledged the importance of ensuring that no one is punished for things they do not deserve,” Jones wrote. “Today, many Floridians continue to struggle to find employment, obtain housing, or to further their education because of a past conviction for simple possession of a substance that is already decriminalized for approximately two out of five Floridians at the local level.
“By extending a pardon to these individuals, you would enable them an opportunity to begin a new chapter of their lives without the burdens that come with a criminal conviction.”
In addition to pardoning thousands of Americans with simple marijuana convictions, Biden on Thursday directed his administration to review how the drug is scheduled under federal law, an important step toward decriminalization.
He also called on Governors to issue pardons of their own, a move that would address the overwhelming majority of marijuana possession cases. Arrests for marijuana accounted for 40% of all drug-related arrests nationwide in 2018, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and preliminary data from the agency shows 170,800 of the 490,000 drug possession arrests in 2021 — about 35% — were for marijuana.
And according to an expansive study by the American Civil Liberties Union, Black Americans are 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a White person, despite similar use rates among both groups.
Praise for Biden’s surprise decision — he called marijuana a “gateway drug” as recently as 2019 — was widespread throughout Florida on Thursday, particularly among Democrats.
Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for Governor, called it a “monumental step forward” in criminal justice.
Crist vowed, if elected, to push for full marijuana legalization and the expungement of all existing charges and sentences for nonviolent offenses.
“It’s time to right the policies that have failed our fellow Floridians, too many of whom are our Black and brown neighbors,” he said.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who sued the Biden administration in April over “conflicts” between state and federal gun and marijuana laws, similarly lauded Biden’s decision and urged DeSantis to follow suit.
“I will be asking that this issue be included on our next Clemency Board agenda,” she said.
Some Republicans joined in the celebration. Among them: U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a DeSantis ally and stalwart proponent of marijuana legalization who used the occasion to take a potshot at the President.
“The (White House) is finally taking my advice. I called out Sleepy Joe months ago!” he wrote on Instagram. “Now it’s time to do what you said you would do and DECRIMINALIZE.”
So Joe ‘pardoned’ the convicts in Fed prisons ???
Gov Desantis is being asked to ‘pardon’ those in FL state prisons and jails ???
Coddling criminals never works for the benefit of society.
Make the Feds decriminalize it. Their war on drugs is a complete and utter failure. Free the states to become creative in the response. Someone will figure out a response to the drug problem. It’s not what we have now. Too much $$$$ in drugs. Either death to everyone or controlled legalization or something in between. I don’t claim to know the answer.
Your comment seems to suggest they're putting people in cages down there for simple possession. This sounds like something right out of the 60s..
Mixed emotions about this. If they were having a legitimate, fact-based discussion on the pros and cons of marijuana, I would be willing to listen. The claims that marijuana is harmless is just not true. May be a gateway drug, but I don’t think that is a major factor because drugs of all types are so readily available, even at grade school and middle school ages. One really big issue NOT being made part of the discussion is the rising prevalence of marijuana-induced psychosis, playing a factor in violence and deaths. As it stands now, the pardon proposal is purely an unvarnished political play. Based on that fact right now, I would oppose pardons. What we need on this issue is a very public, open, non-political discussion on marijuana.
Joe Biden bringing up everything but the economic disaster out there.
Democrats need the votes this November.
No one goes to jail for simple possession, unless it’s a felony quantity, over an ounce. And 99.99% of the time they were doing something else criminal or at least extremely anti-social at the time. The possession charge was just an add-on.
Since there are NO federal inmates who are serving a federal sentence for “possession”, like everything joebama does— he is pardoning NO-ONE! Feel good look good useless empty gesture,for the dumba@@ voter/stoners of any State.
State Laws on possession vary and are based on the Legislatures setting of sentence by vote of the People’s Representative. A governor cannot just “pardon”— not in his power.
>The possession charge was just an add-on.
I’m thinking there were other more substantial charges and they plead down to simple possession because they did something favorable for the DA
How about legislators changing the current laws before presidents and governors start issuing pardons and commutations? Seems like people are getting thing bassackwards. “Simple possession” is still illegal in many states and marijuana is still considered a Schedule I controlled substance under the federal controlled substance act.
Which, by the way, is one of the multitude of laws politicians, including the President . . .
If there are any federal convicts serving for “possession” it is because they plea bargained from being in possession of DEALER size quantities— lessened sentence in exchange for ratting out their dealer pals. Not “possession” at all but a plea bargain down from dope dealers with federal prosecutors. JoeBama wants them “pardoned” when in fact, they that exist were major dealers==federal statutes.
A pardon expunges a felony conviction.
The author of this link - at least - implies (without saying) that almost no one is in jail in Florida or the USA based ONLY on possession of user amounts of marijuana.
Possession of marijuana is almost always what someone pleads down to in lieu of a more serious crime - or - the charge that someone gets for violating parole or probation.
Bottom Line...
Pardons will restore the voting votes of millions of Black and Hispanic voters, and probably many white Democrats.
Currently, Republicans are too stupid to understand what is happening here.
On Fox News, as I write this, a political talk show is loudly and heatedly discussing how marijuana is a Gateway Drug to other drugs.
That is NOT what this is about, you morons!
I repeat - almost no one in the USA is in jail because of a simple possession of marijuana charge!
The Democrats are seeking restoration of voting rights for millions of people who actually committed much more serious crimes, but pleaded down!
Those “drug possessing” felons were beneficiaries of plea deals.
If you can't put legalizing pot on the ballot again to get out the youth vote, then the next best thing is pardoning all of the people convicted of pot possession.
Shervin sounds like he may be considering a career in the medical recreational happy smoke industry. All the felons are going to need these drugs once the RAT DOJ Boyz release them all from prison.
Make the Feds decriminalize it. Their war on drugs is a complete and utter failure. Free the states to become creative in the response. Someone will figure out a response to the drug problem. It’s not what we have now. Too much $$$$ in drugs. Either death to everyone or controlled legalization or something in between. I don’t claim to know the answer.
Legalization means regulation. Which means the regulation of the stratospheric THC levels of today’s marijuana.
Eh ???
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