President Joe Biden is continuing to “evaluate further uses of clemency powers,” the White House said on Thursday after being asked for clarification about the administration’s plans for relief for federal marijuana prisoners.
Biden made his first public comments on cannabis since taking office earlier this month after being pressed on whether he plans to follow through on his campaign pledge to release people who are incarcerated over non-violent federal marijuana offenses.
The president reiterated at the time that he doesn’t believe people should be locked up over cannabis use, said that his administration is “working on” fulfilling that clemency promise and vaguely alluded to a crime bill that he suggested would address the issue.
At Thursday’s briefing, New York Post reporter Steven Nelson followed up on those remarks, asking White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre whether the president also believes the people with federal convictions for selling marijuana should qualify for relief and whether the crime bill that Biden referenced “rules out potential mass clemency.”
Jean-Pierre started by noting that the president granted relief to 78 people, including those with non-violent federal drug convictions, in April, which she said is “more grants of clemency at this
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