Might Prez Biden wisely focus on marijuana offenders for his next clemency efforts?

It has now been almost a full three months since, as noted here, Prez Biden in April 2022 made his first and only use of his historic clemency powers.   Though I was disappointed that it took Prez Biden 15+ months in office before using his clemency pen, I was hopeful the large number of grants (three pardons and 75 commutations) might be a sign of things to come.  But now, three months later, I am fearful that Prez Biden will continue to fail to live up to his campaign promise to "broadly use his clemency power for certain non-violent and drug crimes."

Still, as the question in the title of this post is meant to suggest, there would seem to be a unique opportunity for Prez Biden to focus clemency efforts on a particular group of individuals convicted of "non-violent and drug crimes," namely marijuana offenders.  This group is on my mind in part because of this recent press release which highlights the "the ongoing collaboration between The Weldon Project, National Cannabis Roundtable and other partners to secure clemency for individuals convicted on federal marijuana offenses."  Here is the start of the release:

The Weldon Project’s MISSION [GREEN] and The National Cannabis Roundtable (NCR) today announced the launch of the Cannabis Clemency Campaign, an initiative that will encourage the Biden Administration and Congress to advance policies that would grant clemency to qualifying individuals who have been convicted on federal cannabis charges. The campaign will also facilitate collaboration with marijuana clemency experts and academics, kicking off with a marijuana clemency symposium in Washington, D.C. on July 20th.

“Through clemency, President Biden has an opportunity to deliver justice for the thousands of Americans who have been impacted by federal cannabis prohibition and punitive sentencing practices,” said Weldon Angelos, President and co-founder of The Weldon Project. “This would fulfill one of President Biden’s campaign pledges and send a powerful message about this Administration’s dedication to criminal justice reform. I’m proud to formally launch this campaign alongside the National Cannabis Roundtable, and look forward to working together to redress the harm done by federal marijuana prohibition.”

I have the great honor of participating in the symposium mentioned in this release, and I am hopeful that it will help Prez Biden come to see that it is never too late and always the right time for sound use of his clemency powers. 

A few on many prior related posts:

• On Presidents Day, coalition calls for Prez Biden to issue "a general pardon to all former federal, non-violent cannabis offenders in the U.S."
• New letter with prominent signers urges Prez Biden to pardon all non-violent marijuana offenders 
• New Federal Sentencing Reporter issue considers "After Trump: The Future of the President’s Pardon Power"
• Justice Department has new Pardon Attorney who is a former public defender ... which means ...? 
• Wouldn't a few marijuana offenders be a "light lift" for Prez Biden's first clemency grants?