This is an unequivocally good policy choice, though it will be small in actual impact. Most drug cases are handled through state and local courts, and Biden only has the ability to pardon those convicted in federal courts. This won't release any prisoners because there are no federal prisoners in on weed possession alone, but it will clear the criminal conviction from the records of 6,500 former federal prisoners.
Biden's executive order also calls on Governors to do the same, which is the right move. There have been efforts to move in this direction in Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
The big buried lede here is that Biden's also stated that he's making some baby steps towards re- or de-scheduling weed under the Controlled Substances Act, which could effectively legalize it nationally.
This is a big turnaround for Biden, who has previously been quite conservative on the weed issue despite the fact that marijuana is more popular than he is. My guess is that this is meant to pair with his new student debt policy to increase youth voting in the upcoming primaries.
Bernie + Warren + Cory Booker + others recently sent a letter to the White House asking Biden to issue these pardons and to fully legalize weed via rescheduling. It's a pleasant surprise to see Biden taking the advice from his left, even if it is for election season.
inficetegodwottery said:
As unclear as Biden’s actual ultimate motives are some days, freeing even as little as six thousand people from unjust imprisonment in the miserable shithole of the prison system in America is a good thing. America may be a hogshit flaming wreck most of the time, and its important to be wary of both parties’ motives, but we can at least celebrate when some small justice is achieved.
inficetegodwottery said:
A lot of you guys in the comments (bad or good faith) really seem to think that being president makes reality a fucking 4X game where you can press a button and change a nationwide policy of systemic oppression and extreme resistance to change. He should be fighting more, yes. But the absence of absolute, instantaneous victory does not make all other gains moot.
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