President Joe Biden has received encouragement from former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to change the country’s legalization of marijuana. Tyson demands the release of thousands of nonviolent cannabis offenders who are incarcerated in federal facilities. The difference is still noticeable as the US legal cannabis market grows, with sales expected to exceed $40 billion annually.
According to reports, more than 2,000 people—mostly people of color—are incarcerated for offenses that are now acceptable in over half of the nation. This also includes the legalization of cannabis for recreational use in 24 states. In a similar vein, several well-known figures have advocated for changing the way that accusations pertaining to marijuana are handled, such as Drake and Killer Mike.
There have been allegations of deceptive communication regarding President Joe Biden’s stance on pardons linked to marijuana. This was especially concerning given his campaign pledge to decriminalize marijuana. According to The Guardian, in a promotional film for the cannabis firm Reeform—which was co-founded by Weldon Angelos, a formerly jailed man who was granted mercy in 2016—vocal proponent and entrepreneur Mike Tyson highlights the need for mercy. Tyson says he’s shocked that people are getting hefty punishments for marijuana charges.
He called it “murderers’ time” because of his use of what he views as a “mild medicine.” Tyson is scheduled to present a letter to the White House advocating for community reconciliation in order to further emphasize this message. He added, “The war on marijuana is over, Mr. President, as seen by nationwide legalization initiatives and polls indicating that the majority of Americans are against marijuana prohibition.”
“You can declare an end to federal warfare on our own people and mark a new era based on peace and prosperity through a categorical clemency grant,” he added. His letter, however, follows the appeal made by well-known musicians like Drake and Killer Mike.
More than 150 well-known people, including Kevin Garnett, Killer Mike, Drake, and Deion Sanders, had pleaded with President Joe Biden back in 2021 to give a broad pardon to anyone serving time for nonviolent marijuana charges. Erik Luna, director of the Academy for Justice, and Weldon Angelos, president of The Weldon Project, spearheaded the project.
The signatories think that a pardon of this kind would promote economic growth and public safety. Together, a large number of professions, including legislators, sports, producers, and artists, argued in favor of a reasonable and compassionate response to cannabis-related offenses. It said in the letter, “Enough is enough.” For using marijuana, no one ought to be imprisoned in a federal facility. The scarlet letter of a federal conviction for marijuana offenses shouldn’t be worn by anyone anymore.
Additionally, it pleaded, “Those who will have their sentences commuted comprise a small percentage of the federal prison population and are imprisoned only for non-violent marijuana offenses.” Thus, they had made the strongest possible argument to President Joe Biden. Mike Tyson chose to support the cause since not enough has been done to address this issue. Keep checking back for further information.
