Biden’s ‘Second Chance’ Month Highlights White House’s Marijuana Reform As Presidential Election Challenge Looms
As crucial presidential elections loom, cannabis is becoming an important issue for President Joe Biden, at least judging by his recent proclamation.
“My Administration has taken historic steps to end America’s failed approach to marijuana,” Biden said on Friday. “Incarceration for marijuana possession alone has destroyed too many lives, particularly for Black and brown Americans, who have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups.”
The President’s proclamation, in which he declared April “Second Chance Month,” highlights his efforts around marijuana scheduling reviews and cannabis pardons. The move comes on the heels of Biden’s mention of cannabis reform in a State of the Union speech for the first time in history, which all form part of his efforts to garner important votes. As of March 30, RealClearPolitics polling averages for a head-to-head Biden-Trump contest, Trump was leading Biden by one point (46.5 to 45.5 percent).
Cannabis reform efforts and Biden’s recent moves will no doubt be fully analyzed by participants in the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Florida, April 16-17.
On Friday, Biden reiterated his 2022 call to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to “start …