Al Harrington, Drake, Killer Mike Ask Pres. Biden pardons all non-violent cannabis offenders

By Maureen Meehan

In a live streaming event, NBA star Al Harrington, four-time Grammy winner Drake, world champion boxer Badou Jack, rapper and activist killer Mike, Meek Mill, NFL player Julio Jones and NBA star John Wall and others announced Tuesday that they had co-written and signed a letter to President Joe Biden asking for a general pardon “anyone who is subject to federal criminal or civil enforcement for a nonviolent marijuana offense.”

What happened

The letter to President Biden, led by Weldon Angelos of the Weldon Project / Mission Green and the Director of the Academy for Justice, Erik Luna, includes signatures from approximately 150 artists, athletes, producers, lawmakers, law enforcement officers, academics, business leaders, policy experts, reform advocates and other professionals.

Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images

Angelos also attended the live streaming event along with Luna, Harrington and Ralo, where they discussed the letter to President Biden and emphasized the call for grace.

The stories of those this will help are compelling, Angelos told Benzinga, noting that Drake, Lil Baby, Meek Mill, Killer Mike and dozens of other hip-hop artists signed the letter in support of their friend and rapper Ralo who faced 8 years ago for a nonviolent marijuana offense.

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“I appreciate my friends and colleagues in the hip hop community, like Drake & Killer Mike, for supporting my grace because it’s just not right for companies to break federal law and become millionaires while people like me are allowed to break the law Have to go to jail for years. “, said Ralo. “That is hypocrisy. But I hope Joe Biden will keep his campaign promise and grant us immediate grace so we can return to our families and communities. “

Photo by David Becker / Stringer / Getty Images

Angelos added, “The long-term impact on those previously incarcerated for marijuana convictions goes beyond the prison walls and makes it difficult, if not impossible, for someone to find a job, access affordable housing, student loans, etc. to so many opportunities that people do not recognize when they simply want to start over and contribute to society. Enough is enough. Nobody should be locked up in federal prison for marijuana. “

Why it matters

It’s important to note that three-quarters of states have abandoned federal criminal bans in favor of a safe, regulated cannabis program, yet more than half a million people are arrested for marijuana offenses each year.

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“It’s time the federal government said the drug war on marijuana is over,” said Prof. Luna, two-time Fulbright Prize winner, whose scholarship often examines the criminalization of non-victim crimes. “With the stroke of a pen, President Biden can help end the national criminal marijuana ban, a crude policy that has been devastating for nearly a century.”

Biden campaign promise

“When Biden ran for president, he promised to take action and use the presidency’s pardon to release those jailed for marijuana and pardon their crime convictions,” Angelos said. “At a time when pharmacies are as common as liquor stores in some states, it is time for President Biden to deliver on that promise now.”

Luke Scarmazzo, who currently serves 22 years running a state-compliant medical marijuana dispensary in Modesto, California. hopes the president is doing the right thing.
“The letter sent to President Biden today shows that the public no longer supports these detentions,” Scarmazzo said in a press release. “And I pray that the president will keep his campaign promise to release cannabis prisoners and erase our records. The country calls on him to act. “

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.