Biden Champions Cannabis Reform And Pardon As Election Pressure Mounts, Marijuana Takes Center Stage

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Justice Department officials celebrated April as "Second Chance Month" on Friday. Biden earlier kicked off the month by calling attention to his administration’s pardons, signaling that marijuana is becoming an important issue as a tight presidential election race looms.

According to a new survey by The New York Times and Siena College published Saturday, Biden has nearly erased Donald Trump's early polling advantage. Trump holds a slim lead of 46% to Biden’s 45%.

Second Chances

“Over the last two years, the team has reduced its average initial commutation case processing times by over 85%. And they've reviewed close to 12,000 clemency applications in that time — an incredible number,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on Friday.

“In December, the President issued his second categorical pardon for certain marijuana offenses by expanding it to people who used marijuana or violated certain federal regulations,” said Monaco, referring to Biden’s 2022 and 2023 pardons for people convicted of simple possession.

Can Cannabis Legalization Help Biden’s Re-Election?

He seems to be giving it a try.

“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,” Biden said at the beginning of Second Chance Month 2024, now in its second year. 

Since the Biden administration directed the Drug Enforcement Administration this past August to review cannabis reform and reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, it’s been a waiting game.

Meanwhile, Biden continues to reiterate the same statement: no one should be incarcerated for possessing cannabis. He even said so in his SOTU speech.

At another event on Friday, Biden made similar comments at the National Action Network's (NAN) 2024 Convention in New York City where he delivered a keynote virtual address from the White House. NAN, founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, works on racial justice and civil rights issues as part of its mission to follow the vision of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Biden told the NAN convention he's "keeping my promise that no one should be in federal prison for merely possessing marijuana," while fulfilling other criminal justice reform commitments.

Don't miss out on being part of the discussion around this and other crucial news and how these changes will affect the burgeoning cannabis industry. Join us at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Florida this week on April 16-17. The two-day event at The Diplomat Beach Resort is also a unique 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

Photo: Adam Schultz on Wikimedia Commons and David Smart on Shutterstock