The head of Akron’s NAACP is hoping Gov. Mike DeWine will follow President Joe Biden’s lead in pardoning convictions for simple possession of marijuana.
Biden’s move to extend pardons for federal marijuana convictions would impact more than 6,500 people. But Akron NAACP President Judi Hill doesn’t believe this will have much of an impact on Northeast Ohio, as the vast majority of convictions occur at the state level.
“What he did on a federal level the states would have to really look at what we’re doing on a local level to make a difference," Hill said.
Hill said Ohio’s stance on marijuana sends a confusing message. It’s only legal for medical use.
“But we are still incarcerating people for illegal marijuana use. We’re sending such double messages," Hill said. "It’s so frightening to me, and they wonder why people are frustrated.”
She’s calling on Gov. Mike DeWine to take action in changing the state’s marijuana laws.
“I would love for him to hopefully look at it as a human issue and hopefully restore some justice," Hill said.
Hill said marijuana laws in Ohio disproportionately impact Black and brown people. According to the ACLU, Black Americans are almost four times more likely than white Americans to be arrested for marijuana. Hill said changing Ohio's marijuana policy would positively impact all Ohioans.
"Trust me, if it impacts Black and brown people, it will impact the whole nation or the whole population, because it will help all of us," Hill said.
Moving forward, Hill hopes the state will look at the way marijuana policy has disproportionately impacted people of color, in hopes future legislation will be more fair.
"I would hope that our current administration would work with some of the organizations in town to look at the disparities, to look at how it has impacted obviously people of color more so than anyone else and think about how we can make a change and create an opportunity for some real restorative justice," Hill said.
Biden has also asked the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to review how marijuana should be scheduled under federal law. Currently, marijuana is a Schedule 1 substance, like heroin and LSD. The pardon also blocks future prosecution for this offense.
