“Whereas we acknowledge that making hashish a much less harmful drug is a constructive step, decriminalization and decarceration should be our high priorities,” stated NACDL President Michael P. Heiskell of Fort Price, TX. “To dismantle the failures of mass incarceration which have disproportionately affected marginalized communities and folks of coloration, Congress ought to enact laws to decriminalize hashish, regulate the business, and supply retroactive reduction for folks incarcerated for federal marijuana offenses. NACDL advocates that marijuana be regulated like tobacco and alcohol, as a result of in any other case, hashish will stay a federally prosecuted managed substance.”
“At the same time as we make progress in remediating a number of the failed insurance policies and disparate impacts of the Battle on Medication, the continued prosecution of marijuana crimes causes irreparable hurt to actual folks and their households,” he stated. stated Elizabeth Budnitz, NACDL Useful resource Advisor. “Women and men languish in federal prisons for lawful habits in lots of states at present.”
The NACDL letter highlights examples of shoppers who deserve a second probability,” together with Matthew Stevens, a hero who helped victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Stevens acquired a 108-month sentence for an offense of marijuana. Stevens bravely responded to the explosion, rendering help to the injured and making certain the protection of others. Regardless of having solely minor, non-violent offenses, he was incarcerated till his launch underneath the CARES Act greater than a 12 months in the past. 12 months in the past. Nevertheless, its official launch date stays Might 17, 2026.
“Many instances reveal the human price of outdated marijuana legal guidelines,” Budnitz stated. “These people deserve leniency and a second probability to rebuild their lives, particularly contemplating the modifications in marijuana laws throughout the nation.”
“The partial measure of reclassification – in distinction to the final word answer of decriminalization – would have solely a restricted impression on felony justice instances involving marijuana,” stated NACDL Govt Director Lisa M. Wayne. “Whereas President Biden has granted pardons for federal marijuana possession instances, many extra people languish in federal prisons with pending petitions for commutation of their sentences. NACDL urges the White Home Counsel to think about these instances and points broader decriminalization of hashish and clemency or different retroactive reduction for marijuana offenses.”
