Obama Commutes the Sentences of 98 People, Bringing His Total to 872

Obama Commutes the Sentences of 98 People, Bringing His Total to 872

Drug Policy Alliance: The President is Trying to Fix a Broken System of Justice, Time for Congress to Follow

Today, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 98 people incarcerated in federal prison serving time under outdated and harsh drug sentences. This brings his total number of clemencies granted to 872 people.

President Obama has been pushed to do more to release those serving time in prison under harsh drug laws.

“This continued historic commutation of prisoners by President Obama is needed to correct the inherent racial disparities in our criminal justice system,” said Tony Papa, media relations manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, who was granted clemency in New York State in 1997 after serving 12 years under the Rockefeller Drug Laws for a first-time nonviolent drug offense.

Papa just released his new book, “This Side of Freedom: Life after Clemency,” which speaks about the roadblocks he faced when he was released. “It’s a sure sign of the President’s compassion for those who are rehabilitated and ready to come home to their families.”

“It's great to see the President step up the frequency of commutation announcements,” said Michael Collins, deputy director at DPA's Office of National Affairs. “He may only have less than three months left in office, but that’s plenty of time to bring more people home.”

http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2016...um=social&utm_source=1610fbc3obamaclemency872

I hope he commutes them all.. Could be the biggest legacy of any President to date. He has faced such BS the whole way and handled it so eloquently.. Maybe time to grab his presidential gonads and make a stand and use his limited time to positively change our world in a greater degree than he already has ?

Obama is such a failure. Clinton will be too. We need politicians who want to legalize drugs.

Fuck Trump most of all, talking about heroin as the ultimate evil. Fuck him!!!

TBF, while weed legalisation is a relatively poor attempt at liberalising drug laws across the board, it's still somewhat of a 180 (and the reverse decision on kratom) - from a UK perspective its looking a lot more progressive than it may actually be, considering the input previous administrations have had in shaping global policy.

So, while we and the rest of the world followed the UN convention, now you guys seem to be taking a better approach to this, it's going the opposite way for us. Not only do we no longer have any legitimate domestic sources for ANY rc's of ANY nature, the toilet paper piece of legislate that sunk all the fun we were having is so stupid it's even banned drugs that don't even exist, just in case they may in the future.



I know you guys have better perspective on these liars than we do, but from a UK standpoint the USA is looking like a drugs paradise in comparison to where we have. And the fucking bitch that that enacted this stupid law back in the summer?

She's our new Prime Minister

edit: totally agree about Trump btw, he should be schedule 1 / class a / fucking banned whatever laws cover your dangerous materials. It seems like a lesser of 2 evils election - really nasty shit from bth camps

steewith2ees said:

USA is looking like a drugs paradise

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It was, perhaps a hundred years ago. God willing, it will be again.

Captain.Heroin said:

It was, perhaps a hundred years ago. God willing, it will be again.

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Amen! x

neversickanymore said:

Maybe time to grab his presidential gonads and make a stand and use his limited time to positively change our world in a greater degree than he already has ?

Click to expand...

I will hold out hope that that could happen. It is one thing to commute, but how about we prevent the reason for commuting in the first place? People are losing their lives over substances. Even Marijuana, too many people have too long of jail sentences because of old laws. Yes Mr. President, grab your gonads and do some radical humanitarian rearranging before you leave office. Make it about humanity and not politics.

In the meantime thanks for sparing a few lives President Obama. When I see a president do this it makes me feel they may not be a part of the money grabbing machine. But who knows?

^ One thing that we will have to do before we legalize all drugs is to have a national healthcare system. Addiction will always be a part of substance use for a huge swath of people. Having access to mental health care (so that you can take your drugs for fun rather than for anxiety say, or depression) is crucial, as is a healthcare system that embraces the latest understandings (I made that plural on purpose) of addiction as a complicated health problem as opposed to a moral failing.

^ I completely agree herbavore. It is a medical issue and should be treated as such. Much in the same way someone goes skiing and gets hurt. Some kind of medical back up that does have some understanding(s) of this health issue.

Thanks herbavore. Nice to see a vision of a possible solution since we have already identified the problem. I'll keep that vision.