The following statement was issued today (October 7, 2022) by David Geller, president of the Miami Beach Democratic Club.

“All Americans should rejoice today as we applaud President Biden’s bold decision to pardon thousands of individuals convicted in federal courts of low-level marijuana possession and his call for governors to do the same for those convicted in state courts. The move represents a long-overdue and dramatic shift in federal cannabis policy, which for decades has destroyed lives, impoverished families and weakened communities. When a family breadwinner is sent to prison, for example, the children suffer too, as does the surrounding community. Weak families make for weak communities. And the widely disparate enforcement of drug laws – applied at much higher rates against Americans of color – has been well documented. America’s drug policies have been an unjust disaster. Now, with Thanksgiving not too many weeks away, we hope that the nation's governors will follow the president's suggestion so that many more thousands of Americans can go home to their families and restart their lives. We give thanks for a president with the vision and courage to make that happen. Thank you, sir.”