Florida’s agriculture commissioner and a state senator are calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to comply with President Joe Biden’s lead by facilitating pardons for Floridians who’ve been criminalized over easy marijuana possession.
In a letter despatched to DeSantis on Monday, Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried implored the governor to make use of his authority to place hashish pardons on the agenda for the subsequent State Board of Government Clemency assembly on December 14.
“The criminalization of marijuana possession has led to pointless, long-lasting penalties for too many Floridians, limiting their entry to employment, housing, and academic alternatives,” Fried wrote. “These results are most pronounced in black and brown communities, the place black and brown persons are arrested and convicted at increased charges, despite the fact that their consumption is similar to white People.”
This morning, I despatched a letter to the Governor urging him to pardon easy marijuana possession offenses and add this subject to our Dec. 14th Clemency Board assembly agenda.
The criminalization of marijuana possession has led to pointless, long-lasting penalties for too many. pic.twitter.com/6L1pwDcpXJ
— Commissioner Nikki Fried (@NikkiFriedFL) October 10, 2022
The commissioner, who campaigned on marijuana reform throughout her unsuccessful bid for the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, famous the overwhelming passage of a medical hashish legalization initiative on the poll in 2016, in addition to current polls exhibiting ample help for adult-use legalization within the state.
“The classification of marijuana as a Schedule I substance, that means it has no medicinal worth, rings hole to the 1000’s of Floridians, many veterans, who straight profit from marijuana use,” she stated. “The contradiction between our restrictive classification of marijuana and administration of a state medical marijuana program will not be misplaced on Florida voters.”
“President Biden’s historic reforms are the end result of a prevailing realization that the criminalization of marijuana possession is unfair, discriminatory, and pointless,” Fried wrote. “As Governor, you might have the distinctive means to unilaterally deal with the systemic wrongs perpetuated upon 1000’s of Floridians by means of your pardon energy and steer the dialog in direction of extra fruitful reforms.”
The current transfer by @POTUS to pardon easy marijuana possessions is a protracted overdue step in the appropriate path. It is time that the Governor comply with swimsuit and add this to our December Clemency Board assembly to take a important step in direction of rectifying previous wrongs. pic.twitter.com/tmK1eUXd2t
— Commissioner Nikki Fried (@NikkiFriedFL) October 10, 2022
“Usually, the appropriate determination and the favored determination will not be the identical, nonetheless this is a chance to perform each,” the letter concludes. “I ask you to face with President Biden and the individuals of Florida to proper this unsuitable and pardon all prior state offenses of straightforward marijuana possession.”
Fried serves as a member of the clemency board, and she or he’s been particularly outspoken concerning the urgency of facilitating aid within the state because the president issued the federal pardon proclamation final week.
Whereas quite a few governors across the county have already reacted to Biden’s request that they take hashish clemency motion on the state degree, it doesn’t seem that DeSantis has weighed in but.
Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones (D) is individually urging the governor to take steps to grant clemency to Floridians who’ve been criminalized over hashish. The senator despatched a letter to DeSantis on Friday, emphasizing that the majority marijuana instances are prosecuted on the state, relatively than federal, degree.
Right now, I requested @GovRonDeSantis to hitch @POTUS in pardoning ppl who’ve been convicted of straightforward possession of marijuana on the state degree. This transfer can carry the burden off of so many Black & Brown ppl who lives have hit a highway block as a consequence of this stain on their document. pic.twitter.com/M1fveLppQy
— Shevrin “Shev” Jones (@ShevrinJones) October 7, 2022
“Right now, many Floridians proceed to battle to search out employment, receive housing, or to additional their training due to a previous conviction for easy possession of a substance that’s already decriminalized for roughly two out of 5 Floridians on the native degree,” Jones stated. “By extending a pardon to those people, you’d allow them a chance to start a brand new chapter of their lives with out the burdens that include a felony conviction.”
At a press briefing on Monday, Fried expanded on her name to motion and mentioned her background advocating for hashish reform.
“What we’re seeing on the federal degree is extraordinary—a rare step ahead within the title of justice for the victims of unjust sentencing, whose lives had been upended and even destroyed,” she stated. “It’s crucial that we do the identical factor right here within the state degree.”
In the meantime, on the identical time that the commissioner is applauding the Biden administration for taking this step, she’s additionally in energetic litigation towards the Justice Division over the federal ban on firearm purchases by state-registered medical hashish sufferers.
There’s a listening to scheduled for that case on Wednesday. DOJ has confronted criticism for making authorized arguments defending the gun ban that characterize hashish customers as uniquely harmful.
However now the Justice Division will likely be reexamining federal marijuana scheduling underneath a directive from the president. A spokesperson stated that the assessment will likely be carried out expeditiously, in session with the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS).
If the companies in the end advocate that marijuana be descheduled, that might undermine a key element of DOJ’s argument justifying the firearms coverage for medical hashish sufferers.