Cannabis Operators Reflect on Biden’s Pardons
Cannabtimes
<![CDATA[When President Biden announced federal cannabis policy reform on Oct. 6, the industry’s operators listened closely. Part of that federal reform is pardoning all federal offenses for simple possession of cannabis. President Biden also called on state governors to follow suit and pardon state-level offenses of simple cannabis possession. RELATED: Where Candidates Stand on Cannabis in All 36 Gubernatorial Races “Just as no one should be in a Federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden said. There are more than 40,000 individuals incarcerated for cannabis in the U.S., according to an estimate from Last Prisoner Project, an advocacy organization focused on ending cannabis prohibition and restoring justice to those imprisoned on cannabis convictions. While a pardon does not remove the conviction from a person’s record, it does restore civic abilities—such as the right to vote, hold office, or serve on a jury, among others. Plant-touching cannabis operators across the industry seemingly unanimously applauded the President’s initiatives, but are adamant the momentum towards federal cannabis reform can’t stop here. “It’s great to see President Biden’s recent announcement of pardons for those convicted of a federal crime for possessing cannabis,” says Justice Rines, chief compliance officer for Sweet Dirt, a vertically integrated cannabis operator in Maine. “This is absolutely a move in the right direction, though, like many, we’d like to see this go even further—pardoning all non-violent cannabis convictions and erasing associated criminal records which sometimes prevent convicted individuals from accessing housing, jobs and other opportunities.” Rines adds that the Sweet Dirt team hopes to see all state governors follow Biden’s lead and perhaps even take it a step further to pardon all non-violent offenders, rather than just those convicted of simple possession.…
Excerpt only …
READ MORE BELOW
Source : Cannabis Operators Reflect on Biden’s Pardons
reposted by Cannabis News World