Criminal Defense Lawyers To Biden: Release Pot Prisoners As DEA Moves To Reclassify Cannabis
On the same day the DEA announced its decision to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) called upon President Joe Biden to extend clemency and compassionate release to individuals with federal nonviolent marijuana convictions.
Highlighting the persistent issues faced by many, the NACDL’s plea underscores the disparity between evolving state laws and federal enforcement, stressing the enduring harm inflicted on individuals and families by ongoing marijuana prosecutions.
“The continued prosecution of marijuana crimes continues to cause irreparable harm on real people and their families,” resource counsel Elizabeth Budnitz and executive director Lisa M. Wayne wrote in their Tuesday letter to the White House counsel, reported Law360.com.
“Men and women languish in federal prisons across this country for conduct today that has …