Biden's 'Second Chance' Month Highlights White House's Marijuana Reform As Presidential Election Challenge Looms

As crucial presidential elections loom, cannabis is becoming an important issue for President Joe Biden, at least judging by his recent proclamation.

"My Administration has taken historic steps to end America's failed approach to marijuana," Biden said on Friday. "Incarceration for marijuana possession alone has destroyed too many lives, particularly for Black and brown Americans, who have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups."  

The President’s proclamation, in which he declared April "Second Chance Month," highlights his efforts around marijuana scheduling reviews and cannabis pardons. The move comes on the heels of Biden's mention of cannabis reform in a State of the Union speech for the first time in history, which all form part of his efforts to garner important votes. As of March 30, RealClearPolitics polling averages for a head-to-head Biden-Trump contest, Trump was leading Biden by one point (46.5 to 45.5 percent).

Cannabis reform efforts and Biden’s recent moves will no doubt be fully analyzed by participants in the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Florida, April 16-17.

On Friday, Biden reiterated his 2022 call to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to "start formally reviewing how marijuana is scheduled under Federal law."

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra confirmed his agency had responded to Biden’s directive to provide cannabis scheduling recommendations to the DEA this past August. Becerra wrote to the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) administrator Anne Milgram at the time calling for marijuana to be reclassified as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Months later, the DEA has yet to finish its drug scheduling process, which says the agency’s pharmacologist Buki Ebeigbe is still ongoing. The process of writing the recommendation to be presented to Milgram is underway, Ebeigb said recently during DEA's podcast series "Prevention Profiles: Take Five," Rich Lucey told the senior prevention program manager.

See also: Marijuana Legalization: 31 Bipartisan House Reps Urge DEA To Reassess Cannabis Scheduling

Biden's Monday proclamation also stressed his 2022 and 2023 pardons for people convicted of simple possession.

"It is simple: No one should be in jail or prison for using or possessing marijuana alone," he said.

Yet, a group of thirty-six Congress members voiced concern about the issue.

Led by Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chairs Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) the lawmakers sent a letter to the President last month.

"The continued incarceration of these individuals continues the racist legacy of the War on Drugs, contradicts the current societal and legal trends regarding marijuana, and represents an unnecessary burden on our morals and justice system,” the letter said.

‘Influx' Of Cannabis Pardon Applications

Meanwhile, it seems the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney (PARDON) will have its hands full for the next several months. It has requested over $12 million, 40 positions and 40 FTE, including 26 attorneys, to advise and assist the President in the "exercise of the executive clemency power."

"The FY 2025 request will allow PARDON to both continue to review and address pending clemency cases, receive new ones, evaluate capital cases, and process the influx of submissions pursuant to the two Presidential Proclamations on marijuana," the budget report stipulates.

The document also highlighted the number of people applying for clemency is substantial.

Now read: 9 Out Of 10 Americans Support Some Form Of Legal Cannabis, Pew Research Center Finds

Don’t miss out on being part of this exciting news and how it will affect the burgeoning cannabis industry at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Florida at a new venue in Hollywood, on April 16 and 17, 2024. The two-day event at The Diplomat Beach Resort is a chance for entrepreneurs, both large and small, to network, learn and grow. Renowned for its trendsetting abilities and influence on the future of cannabis, mark your calendars – this conference is the go-to event of the year for the cannabis world.

Get your tickets now on bzcannabis.com – Prices will increase very soon!