Mike Tyson Urges President Biden to Release People Incarcerated For Federal Cannabis Offenses

Former pro boxer Mike Tyson is throwing his weight behind an organization advocating for the release and record expungement of people who have been incarcerated for federal cannabis offenses.

In a letter sent to President Joe Biden Feb. 20, Tyson wrote that he is supporting The Weldon Project and its Mission [Green] initiative, which works to end incarceration for cannabis-related offenses and provide opportunities for people to receive pardons or expungements.

“In September 2021, you received a letter from the Weldon Project—signed by dozens of artists, athletes, lawmakers, law enforcement officials, academics, business leaders, policy experts, reform advocates, and other professionals—asking you to issue a general pardon for federal marijuana offenders. Today, I join the Weldon Project, Drake, Killer Mike, T.I., Deion Sanders, Bella Thorne, Jim Brown, and many others in calling upon you to end the madness of federal marijuana prohibition,” Tyson wrote, naming just a few of the 150 signees of the Sept. 14, 2021, letter, which, as Cannabis Business Times previously reported, urged the president “to grant a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to all persons subject to federal criminal or civil enforcement on the basis of nonviolent marijuana offenses.”

Founded by Weldon Angelos, who served 13 years of a 55-year prison sentence for selling less than $1,000 of cannabis, The Weldon Project works to provide financial and legal resources for people who are serving time for cannabis-related offenses.

RELATED: The Weldon Project Aims to End Incarceration for Cannabis

Tyson references widely reported opinion polls that most Americans oppose cannabis prohibition and the momentum of legalization efforts to emphasize his point that “Marijuana should not be a crime.” Twenty-four states have legalized cannabis for adult use in statehouses via lawmakers' legislative action or in voting booths via ballot initiatives. Many brands have been able to produce and sell cannabis products through state-legal markets—including Tyson’s own Tyson 2.0 line that includes flower, edibles and concentrates—all while people continue to serve sentences for cannabis offenses.

RELATED: U.S. Cannabis Legalization Map

“The U.S. government should no longer use marijuana as a reason to lock people up. The first step is to release the remaining people incarcerated federally under America’s war on marijuana and to wipe the slate clean for those convicted of federal marijuana offenses,” Tyson wrote.  

Read the full letter from Tyson below, provided by KCSA public relations:

The Honorable President of the United States Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 

Washington, D.C. 20500 

RE: Clemency for Federal Marijuana Offenders 

Dear Mr. President: 

I write in support of granting clemency to marijuana offenders still incarcerated in federal prison and restoring civil rights to those haunted by a federal marijuana conviction. 

In September 2021, you received a letter from the Weldon Project—signed by dozens of artists, athletes, lawmakers, law enforcement officials, academics, business leaders, policy experts, reform advocates, and other professionals—asking you to issue a general pardon for federal marijuana offenders. Today, I join the Weldon Project, Drake, Killer Mike, T.I., Deion Sanders, Bella Thorne, Jim Brown, and many others in calling upon you to end the madness of federal marijuana prohibition.

The September letter emphasized that the federal ‘war on drugs’ has crushed many souls and countless futures, while spreading intolerable levels of mistrust and dysfunction between minority communities and those sworn to protect them.” I grew up in tough neighborhoods where people lived in fear of drug warriors, and I’ve seen the heavy cost paid by the poor and people of color. It’s past time to reconcile with these communities. 

Marijuana should not be a crime. Americans today reject marijuana prohibition in public opinion polls and through legalization efforts across the nation. The U.S. government should no longer use marijuana as a reason to lock people up. The first step is to release the remaining people incarcerated federally under America’s war on marijuana and to wipe the slate clean for those convicted of federal marijuana offenses.

The war on marijuana is over, Mr. President, as seen in legalization efforts across the nation and in polls showing that most Americans oppose marijuana prohibition. Through a categorical clemency grant, you can declare an end to federal warfare on our own people and mark the beginning of a new era of peace and prosperity. 

Sincerely,

Mike Tyson

Former World Heavyweight Champion
Tyson 2.0, Chief Brand Officer
Mike Tyson Cares Inc., Founder