#Countdown4Clemency Campaign Creates Urgency for President Biden to Free People Incarcerated for Cannabis Before End of Term
Last Prisoner Project and Cannabis Advocates Launch Countdown4Clemency to Urge President Biden for Immediate Cannabis Clemency.
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Today,
Last Prisoner Project (LPP),
alongside other cannabis industry advocates and bi-partisan
420 unity coalition partners, has launched the
#Countdown4Clemency campaign, a
call to action for President Biden to fulfill his commitment to cannabis justice by granting clemency to thousands of individuals incarcerated for federal cannabis convictions.
The
#Countdown4Clemency campaign urges
President Biden to act swiftly to release an estimated 3,000 individuals who are still incarcerated for cannabis offenses. Recent polls show that
84%
of voters back the release of individuals serving time for now-legal offenses, and
72%
support clemency at both the federal and state levels, emphasizing the public's strong support for cannabis clemency.
“Time is running out on
President Biden's term, but it is not too late for him to undo the harms inflicted on families impacted by cannabis criminalization,” said
Sarah Gersten,
LPP’s Executive Director.
“With his clemency powers, the President has the opportunity to right history and restore justice by fulfilling his promise that no one should be in jail for cannabis.”
As
President Biden
enters a "lame duck" period with less than five months in office, he has a unique opportunity to correct the injustices of the War on Drugs that he previously championed. The campaign highlights that despite the President's categorical pardons, no one has yet been released from prison for cannabis through commutations under his administration, and he has only granted
1.6%
of all clemency petitions submitted during his presidency.
The campaign also draws attention to the significant racial disparities in cannabis-related convictions and the potential for clemency to positively impact communities of color. Almost half of the clemency petitions
LPP has submitted
currently under review involve individuals who identify as Black, many of whom could be granted relief with the President's action.
Among those still behind bars is
Ricardo Ashmeade, who is serving a 22-year sentence due to the three-strikes law sponsored by then-Senator Joe Biden. His daughter,
Richeda Ashmeade,
has been separated from her father for 16 years. As she approaches her law school graduation,
President Biden has the opportunity to reunite their family with the
stroke of a pen.
To join the
#Countdown4Clemency
and advocate for cannabis justice, the public is encouraged to
send letters to President Biden to grant clemency before his term ends, then
promote the campaign on social media using
hashtags #Countdown4Clemency
and
#CannabisClemency!
For more information, please visit www.cannabisclemency.org, and join us for a campaign launch webinar with LPP Advocate Donte West and LPP constituent Ruben Garcia on September 18th at 6:30pm EST.
ABOUT LAST PRISONER PROJECT
The Last Prisoner Project is dedicated to freeing those incarcerated due to the War on Drugs, reuniting their families, and helping them rebuild their lives. As laws change, there remains a fundamental injustice for individuals whose conviction is no longer a crime. LPP works to repair these harms through legal intervention, constituent support, direct advocacy and policy change. Visit www.lastprisonerproject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to learn more.
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Media Contacts:
Stephen Post, Communications Manager
Last Prisoner Project
Stephen@lastprisonerproject.org
Linda Carbone & Katie Leggett
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