Biden Commutes Sentences of 75 Drug Offenders, New Poll Has Strong Support for Drug Decrim, More… (4/26/22)

Marijuana legalization continues to be popular with the public, and support for drug decriminalization is trending the same way, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Yet Another Poll Shows Unwavering Strong Support for Marijuana Legalization. A new poll from the market research firm SSRS finds supermajority support for marijuana legalization, with 69 percent of respondents favoring the move. Support was strongest among Democrats (78 percent), followed by independents (74 percent) and Republicans (54 percent). Additionally, 58 percent of respondents, including 71 percent of millennials, agreed that "alcohol is more harmful to a person's health than marijuana." This poll comes on the hells of numerous other polls in recent years showing strong, enduring majority support for legalization. The poll hasa margin of error of +/– 3.5 percentage points.

Drug Policy

New Poll Shows Supermajority Support for Drug Decriminalization. A new survey from Data for Progress and the People's Action Institute shows strong majority support for drug decriminalization. The poll asked: "Last year, the state of Oregon decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs. Instead of being prosecuted, a person possessing small amounts of drugs will receive a fine (like a parking ticket). A person can get the fine waived if they participate in screenings from services like treatment, housing, mental health care, and employment. Would you support or oppose a similar measure nationwide?" Overall, 69 percent of respondents supported decriminalization, with Democrats leading the way (82 percent), followed by independents (75 percent), and even a majority of Republicans (54 percent). The poll also asked numerous other questions related to drug policy and harm reduction, with one striking finding that vast majorities of respondents (72 percent) had never read or heard about harm reduction programs.  The poll had a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

Pardons and Commutations

Biden Commutes Sentences of 75 Drug Offenders. President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced he was commuting the sentences of 75 drug offenders and pardoning three other people. This is the first time Biden has made use of his presidential pardon power. The administration described the pardons and commutations as part of broader push to overhaul the criminal justice system, and it came the same day the Justice Department announced a $145 million plan to provide job skills training to federal prisoners. The administration said Biden is considering further commutations as well even as it noted he had issued more clemency grants than any of the last five presidents this early in their terms. The pardons and commutations went through the usual clemency process, a reversal of how President Trump relied on friends and allies for recommendations and generally used his pardon power to benefit people with wealth and connections, especially pro-Trump political operatives such as Steve Bannon and Roger Stone (although Trump did commute the sentences of a handful of celebrity-endorsed drug offenders).