Trump Grants Clemency To Marijuana Prisoners On Last Day In Office

As one of his final acts in the White House, President Trump on Wednesday announced that he has granted clemency to dozens more people with marijuana and drug convictions.

The latest batch of pardons and commutations is the product of a push from advocates, celebrities and even some Republican lawmakers, who coordinated with White House staff over the course of Trump’s administration.

In a letter sent to the president in November, the coalition noted the president’s comments supporting bipartisan legislation to protect state cannabis programs from federal intervention and argued that congressional gridlock meant that those most harmed under federal prohibition would go without relief unless executive action was taken.

They also attached a list of people incarcerated in federal prison who they felt were most deserving of clemency—an addendum that was requested by the office of Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Now the White House has granted relief to several of those names.