A coalition of 85 civil rights and drug policy reform groups are sending a letter to President Joe Biden and other key federal officials on Thursday, using the unofficial marijuana holiday 4/20 to urge the administration to deschedule cannabis and support comprehensive legalization legislation.
The letter, led by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) with other signatories like the ACLU and Human Rights Watch, further outlines administrative steps that officials can take in the interim to build on Biden’s mass marijuana pardon last year and repair some of the harms of prohibition.
The groups applauded the clemency proclamation, as well as Biden’s directive for a review into marijuana’s scheduling status, but they pointed to a number of limitations to both actions.
For example, the pardon explicitly excluded non-citizens, who “face mandatory detention, deportation, and other immigration consequences based on minor possession convictions.” It also does not affect possession cases that happen after the proclamation was issued.
The coalition also raised concerns about the scheduling review process, stating that even if it did ultimately result in moving marijuana to a lower schedule, cannabis would still be criminalized and the same racially disproportionate enforcement trends would likely persist.
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