Steven W. Hawkins
United States Cannabis Coalition (USCC)
Weldon Angelos
Project Mission Green/The Weldon Project
Alice Johnson
Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ); Taking Action for Good (TAG)
Aaron Smith
National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA)
Jessica Jackson
REFORM Alliance
Brittany K. Barnett
Buried Alive Project
Erik Altieri
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)
Amber Littlejohn
Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA)
Chris Redlitz
The Last Mile
Amy Povah
CAN-DO Foundation
Connor Boyack
Libertas Institute
CC:
Rosalind Sargent-Burns
Acting Pardon Attorney
Office of the Pardon Attorney U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001
Monty Wilkinson
Acting Attorney General Office of the Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001
1 For instance, Luke Scarmazzo owned and operated a medical cannabis dispensary in Modesto, CA with his friend Ricardo Montes from 2004-2006 pursuant to California’s Compassionate Use Act of 1996. Although other medical marijuana dispensaries operated throughout California at the time, Luke and Ricardo were prosecuted in federal court, and in 2008 they were sentenced to over 20 years in prison. In January 2017, after serving nine years, Ricardo had his sentence commuted by the President. Luke wasn’t as fortunate. Without explanation, his petition for commutation was denied. This form of random-selection clemency needs to be replaced with a principled, active, and meaningful program that better fits modern America. While the cannabis trade became a legal business for many under state law, others were targeted for the same activity by federal agents. Luke was an entrepreneur who followed state law and fulfilled a market for medical marijuana but became a victim of a patchwork set of laws, often applied unevenly. You now have the power to correct a serious injustice carried forward by prior administrations.
2 Biden, Democratic Primary Debate, Nov. 20, 2019; https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/read-democratic-debate-transcript-november-20-2019-n1088186. Similar sentiments were recently echoed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. See e.g., Kyle Jaeger, Chuck Schumer Lists Marijuana As A Priority In First Post- Election Cannabis Comments, MARIJUANA MOMENT, Jan. 26, 2021.
3
See
Proclamation 4483, also known as Granting Pardon for Violations of the Selective Service Act.