When President Joe Biden visited his campaign headquarters in Wisconsin last week, Chris Sirakos caught the president's attention. A CBD business owner who was recently acquitted in a marijuana-related case held a sign supporting the president's position that “no one should go to jail for using or possessing marijuana.”
Biden seized the opportunity to tout his popular cannabis amnesty and declare he is “committed” to federal cannabis reform. Sirakos told Marijuana Moment on Tuesday that the message was well received by many supporters.
“When he came out, there was applause. Plus, it was very quiet in the room until he mentioned marijuana,” he said. “I mean, the room went crazy. Everyone erupted in applause.”
It was a defining moment for Mr. Sirakos, a Wisconsin Democratic Party activist and owner of hemp company Superstar Buzz. He said the president's selection of him “meant a lot to me.” Biden also took a selfie with Sirakos' cellphone in his hand and held up a marijuana-themed sign.
The moment was even more meaningful given Sirakos' own recent experience with marijuana-related criminalization. Just last month, a state circuit court judge dismissed the case against him, clearing the operator of 11 felonies, three years after he was arrested on suspicion of selling cannabis products that exceeded the legal THC limit.
Sirakos suspects he was targeted for political reasons. Law enforcement in Waukesha County, a conservative stronghold, has retaliated against him over his activism and participation in protests over police reform and other issues. Her home was searched, her property was seized and her partner, who was nine months pregnant at the time, was also arrested.
That gave weight to the exchange he would have with the president a month later.
“That was the most important exchange of words I've ever had with another person,” Sirakos said. “And it was an honor to exchange ideas with the president on marijuana reform.”
It's also another example of the administration's increased focus on marijuana policy reform in the run-up to the November election, with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris raising concerns about marijuana policy reform in recent weeks, especially among key demographics. is leaning towards this issue in an attempt to capitalize on its popularity. such as young voters.
However, as Biden has been known to do (including during this month's State of the Union address), he misstated the scope of the amnesty package in his remarks in Milwaukee last week. He mistakenly equated his pardon with a disappearance, even though the pardon constitutes merely a formal pardon and does not erase a criminal record. He also said pardon recipients are no longer required to disclose arrests and convictions on official forms such as job applications, since the Justice Department has made clear that this is not the case.
“I think in many cases he believes these things to be true, but he may be wrong about some of the realities,” Sirakos said. More importantly, he said, the president is publicly expressing this position and implementing administrative reforms in the first place.
“They've made progress. It's a slow process, but they're making progress,” he added. “The train sometimes moves very slowly because there are so many people trying to get on the train.''
Intentionally or not, Biden's comments about marijuana at last week's event put him behind former President Donald Trump, who is now the sure-fire Republican nominee in most polls, despite winning the battleground state in 2020. This could be especially important in the context of Wisconsin, which is lagging behind.
Cannabis use could be delayed under a Biden-led review that led the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to recommend drug use to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), according to a recent poll. After people became aware of this, the president's favorability rating skyrocketed. Moves cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Harris made headlines last week when she called the current classification of marijuana “unreasonable” and “patently unfair” and urged the DEA to move forward with rescheduling “as soon as possible.”
In a private roundtable with pardon recipients, the governor of Kentucky, rapper Fat Joe, and other stakeholders, the vice president said, “We need to legalize marijuana.'' '', taking a broader stance for the first time since taking office as president. He joined Biden's candidacy four years ago.
Marijuana Moment also spoke with one of the pardon recipients who attended the event, who similarly said Harris' remarks were “very meaningful” and that the administration hopes to make more decisions as the election approaches. He said this is a sign of things to come.
White House report shows law enforcement concerns over Congress' marijuana legalization
Photo by Chris Silakos.
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