Activists demonstrate in DC for a cannabis pardon

Hip-hop icons Redman and M1 of Dead Prez will join cannabis activists in Washington, DC on Monday to protest the Biden administration’s failure to release people jailed on federal marijuana convictions. The rally, touted as an act of civil disobedience, will bring together cannabis policy reform groups including Students for Sensible Drug Policy, DC Marijuana Justice, the Last Prisoner Project and Maryland Marijuana Justice as members protest outside the White House Oct. 24.

Steve DeAngelo, a leader in cannabis policy reform and co-founder of the Last Prisoner Project, said that for decades he has helped organize the Monday March to raise awareness of the plight of people incarcerated on nonviolent marijuana charges. Activists hope the protest will spur the White House to take action against the cannabis pardon ahead of November’s general election.

“As the nation moves toward the midterm elections, I demand one simple thing — that President Biden fulfill the promise he made during the last election cycle to release the people still serving sentences on cannabis convictions,” DeAngelo wrote in an email to Hohe Zeiten. “As the White House itself has admitted, the recently announced pardons will not exonerate a single person.”

On Oct. 6, President Joseph Biden announced that he had issued an executive order pardoning anyone convicted of simple possession of marijuana at the federal level. An analysis of Biden’s executive order, conducted by The New York Times, estimated that the pardons will apply to approximately 6,500 people convicted of federal cannabis possession charges between 1992 and 2021, and thousands more with similar convictions in Washington, DC. But the action offers no relief to cannabis prisoners, who are currently behind bars, most on marijuana distribution and related charges.

“If President Biden truly wants the support of cannabis voters, he should, as a show of good faith, immediately release at least 100 of the 2,800 federal prisoners currently serving time on nonviolent cannabis charges,” DeAngelo said. “If President Biden refuses to act, I will gather at the White House on October 24th alongside hip-hop legends M1 and Redman and hundreds of other cannabis activists to put the President’s feet in the fire.”

M1 said: “I decided to take part in this action because this government failed to act to get on the right side of his/her story. My cannabis community deserves freedom and justice. And with my cultural activist comrades, we will keep our finger on the pulse of the people. Free them ALL!”

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Biden’s announcement earlier this month also included a call for governors to take similar action to pardon cannabis at the state level. The President also directed Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to review the status of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug. Despite the historic nature of Biden’s pardons, activists argue that the president didn’t go far enough.

“I am outraged that the President is taking executive action against cannabis but not releasing any of our imprisoned friends and family members,” Kat Ebert, executive chair of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said in a statement from the group. “It’s forcing us to raise our voices so the wider public understands that cannabis prisoners are still not free. On October 24th we want to make it clear to the democratic leadership that we will not accept symbolic actions in particular. We demand clemency for all cannabis prisoners.”

DeAngelo is a co-founder of the Last Prisoner Project, a group working to free those imprisoned on cannabis charges. In addition to the activist groups involved, former inmates and local cannabis freedom fighters will also take part in the protest.

“If President Biden is truly to repair the damage caused by our nation’s unjust prohibition policies, those initial advances must be followed by bolder actions — actions that would actually lead to the freedom of cannabis prisoners,” said Sarah Gersten, LPP executive director and council general.

Monday’s demonstration is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time outside the gates of the White House, with Redman and M1 scheduled to appear to join the call for cannabis pardons. The crowd will gather at the Andrew Jackson statue in Lafayette Square before attending the expected civil disobedience nearby aimed at drawing attention to the lack of people being released from federal prison under Biden’s order became.

“DCMJ is joining the protests to free all cannabis prisoners because we’ve just waited too long,” said Adam Eidinger, co-founder of DC Marijuana Justice, a group supporting efforts to reform cannabis policy in the capital of the United States country has led. “We are pleased that students are leading this effort to make tangible progress toward the liberation of cannabis prisoners whose continued detention is immoral and unjust.”