Meet The Man Serving A 40-Year Sentence For Non-Violent Cannabis Charges, Awaiting Pardon From Biden

Edwin Rubis has served 27 years of a 40-year federal prison sentence after being convicted on non-violent cannabis related charges in the late 1990s. Cannabis and criminal justice reform advocates are rallying for his release by way of a presidential pardon from the Biden Administration.

Rubis, now 56, was 29 years old with one child and another on the way in 1998 when the DEA arrested him and charged him with conspiracy to distribute cannabis. No drugs, guns or money were found in Edwin’s possession. Still, he was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years.

In the 27 years he has served so far, Rubis has been an exemplary inmate earning three college degrees and completing 30+ rehabilitation programs. Without government intervention, his earliest release date is not until 2031 when he will be 63 years old.

“I no longer belong in prison. I am not a threat to society. The Bureau of Prisons has categorized me as a low non-violent offender for recidivism purposes. I am a non-violent cannabis offender. I believe in redemption," Rubis said in a Beard Bros Pharm press release. "I am a compassionate and relatable individual who does not judge others by their culture, creed, or religion, but by the intentions of their heart. I am honest and loyal; responsible and accountable. I deserve a second chance at life.”

His parents are in their 80s and Edwin wants to see them again. His three adult children have been deprived of their father’s presence for most of their lives, noted Beard Bros, a legacy brand and media outlet calling on President Joe Biden to grant a full pardon and release Rubis from federal prison.

Read Also: Federal Marshals Raid Legal Medical Marijuana Shop In Texas: Why The Big Guns? Advocates Say ‘It’s Absurd’

Biden’s Unfulfilled Promise

October 6, 2022, Biden issued a general pardon for previous crimes of simple cannabis possession in violation of federal law and the D.C. Code. In December 2023, Biden expanded the pardon to cover offenses for cannabis use and simple possession and called on state governors to do the same.

Still nothing: There have been no pardons for federal inmates doing time for non-violent cannabis crimes. Beard Bros Pharm points out that Rubis "is not the only prisoner who fits that description but his continued incarceration is a reminder of the half-steps taken by this administration when it comes to cannabis reform and his immediate release would signal the Democratic Party’s commitment to future criminal justice reform."

Since he is not seeking re-election, President Biden has just over two months until Election Day and over four months until a new president is sworn in, "to right what he calls ‘historic wrongs” and grant Edwin Rubis a full presidential pardon.

Now Read:

• Cannabis Experts Say Weed Reform Is A Race Against Time, Is The DEA Delaying Biden’s Rescheduling Proposal?

Photo courtesy of Last Prisoner Project