美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden pardons thousands of people convicted on federal marijuana possession charges

Biden pardons thousands of people convicted on federal marijuana possession charges

Transcript¹

President Biden has announced he is pardoning everyone convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law. He's now urging governors to pardon those convicted on state possession charges.

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President Biden has pardoned thousands of people convicted on federal marijuana possession charges. The pardons don't apply to people convicted of distributing or selling marijuana. Biden is urging governors to follow his lead and pardon those convicted on state charges of simple cannabis possession. State level convictions far outnumber federal ones. Here's NPR's Eric Westervelt.

ERIC WESTERVELT, BYLINE²: Advocacy groups have long called for a federal pardon as one step in addressing the racial bias³ in the criminal justice system, something Biden noted⁴ in his video address announcing the move.

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PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: While white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people are arrested, prosecuted⁵ and convicted at disproportionately higher rates.

WESTERVELT: But the presidential pardons directly impact only a small number of people caught up in America's long war on drugs - about 6,500 with federal drug convictions across the country and several thousand more in the District of Columbia. Officials said no one is currently serving time in federal prisons solely⁶ for simple marijuana possession. So the move is seen as symbolism, as much as powerful policy. Biden said imprisoning⁷ people for marijuana possession, quote, "has upended too many lives and incarcerated⁸ people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit."

LENORE ANDERSON: This is really about setting a tone. What do we believe in? What is the best way to handle something like this? And it matters for that reason.

WESTERVELT: That's Lenore Anderson, president of the justice reform group Alliance for Safety and Justice. She calls the move a long overdue⁹ and smart policy change. The pardons, she says, will help start to unwind racial inequities and the devastating¹⁰ ripple¹¹ effects pot convictions can have.

ANDERSON: For jobs, for housing, loans, occupational licenses¹². In many ways, old records can lead to a lifetime of post-conviction poverty. And that's not good for public safety, and it's not good for the economy.

WESTERVELT: About 98% of all marijuana arrests are at the state level, and it's there that hundreds of thousands more still face those conviction hurdles¹³. Still, Biden's move makes good on a campaign pledge and marks a potentially giant shift in federal drug policy, at least towards pot. Erik Altieri is executive director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which has pushed for this kind of change for decades.

ERIK ALTIERI: Today was a huge step in the right direction and really a historic move to see coming from a sitting president of the United States.

WESTERVELT: Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use of marijuana. That means more than 40% of the U.S. population today lives somewhere where pot is legal. Five more states vote on legalization next month. Thirty-eight states have legalized medical use of cannabis. A growing number of states have recently taken steps to expunge¹⁴ old pot convictions, including Illinois and Colorado. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat¹⁵, recently signed a bill that seals old cannabis-related convictions. Altieri and other advocates say to give everyone the fair second chance they deserve, more governors need to heed¹⁶ Biden's call to take action on pardons.

ALTIERI: For lawmakers across the country, this really provides a lot of momentum¹⁷ to actually move forward on this, knowing that you're looking at a administration that is broadly supportive of these efforts, and they're not going to crack down on your states. And, in fact, you know, they're kind of giving you that permission framework to really go ahead and pursue marijuana justice.

WESTERVELT: Biden stopped short of calling for full decriminalization and reiterated¹⁸ that the federal government still needs, quote, "important limitations on trafficking, marketing¹⁹ and underage sales of marijuana." But he called on his administration to move quickly to review how marijuana is classified under federal law. It's currently listed as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin²⁰ and other hard drugs driving the nation's addiction²¹ and overdose epidemics²². Altieri with NORML hopes that review marks a big step toward the federal government eventually descheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act.

ALTIERI: So it's treated the same as alcohol is and regulated by the states and the federal government gets out of the game of prohibition²³.

WESTERVELT: But that federal decriminalization effort faces a bigger, longer process and one that falls to Congress, where the effort faces a much tougher road. Several GOP members blasted the pardons, including Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who called it a desperate attempt at distraction²⁴ just weeks ahead of midterm elections.

Eric Westervelt, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

6 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

7 imprisoning   

v.下狱，监禁( imprison的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr Afwerki may disgust his compatriots by torturing and imprisoning his critics. Afwerki总统拷打和监禁他的反对者已经使的国人生厌。 来自互联网
• Proud and intelligent, it takes great pleasure and imprisoning enemies through psionic exploitation. 它骄傲并狡猾，非常喜欢囚禁敌人并剥夺他们的智力。 来自互联网

8 incarcerated   

钳闭的

参考例句：

• They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
• I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白

9 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

10 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

11 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

12 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

13 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

14 expunge   

v.除去，删掉

参考例句：

• He could not expunge the incident from his memory.他无法忘掉这件事。
• Remember that you can expunge anything you find undesirable.记住，你可以除去任何你发现令你讨厌的东西。

15 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

16 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

17 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

18 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

19 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

20 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

21 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

22 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

23 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

24 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。