Time is running out to grant clemency ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Friend, as we approach Thanksgiving it’s so important to remember the many people behind bars for a drug offense who won’t be home for the holidays with their loved ones.

The drug war has led to far too many people being arrested, incarcerated, and punished in this country. Of the nearly 2 million people currently incarcerated in the U.S., 1 in 5 is locked up for a drug offense.

Incarcerating people for drug offenses is harmful and blocks them from support. It can have lifelong consequences that get in the way of finding a job, education, or a place to live. We need to prioritize supporting people, not incarcerating them.

President Biden has a chance to undo some of these harms by using his clemency power to commute sentences, pardon convictions, and release people incarcerated for federal drug offenses before he leaves office. Urge Biden to use his clemency power to give victims of the drug war a second chance and bring them home for the holidays.

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In 2022, Biden took a long-overdue step forward by pardoning everyone who had simple federal marijuana possession charges. But there are still thousands of people unfairly locked up for marijuana offenses. And due to racist targeted enforcement, they are disproportionately from Black and Brown communities.

There are also thousands of people serving severe federal mandatory minimum sentences due to the 18:1 crack-powder sentencing disparity. This disparity means that sentences for people convicted for crack cocaine are 18 times harsher than those convicted for powder cocaine even though the only difference between the drugs is baking soda. This profoundly unfair disparity is about racism, not science. Although drug use is similar across racial lines, Black and Brown people make up the majority of those who are convicted of a drug offense carrying a mandatory minimum.

Many of the people locked up for federal drug charges like these have been behind bars for decades. And they would not have been given such harsh punishment if they had been convicted today. At the very least, they deserve a second chance.

Biden said he is committed to racial justice and equity time and time again. Now it’s his last chance to use his clemency power to deliver on that promise. Join our call for Biden to do the right thing: tell him to grant clemency to victims of the drug war today.

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Sincerely,
Maritza Perez Medina
Director, Federal Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance

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