No I don't have a link I just saw a gif on Facebook from the ACLU. Link to that gif:
https://www.facebook.com/...
Hopefully this will be the start of something bigger. Perhaps he's just dipping his toe in the pool to see what the public response is, but hopefully this starts to take on a life of its own and more of these pardons will be forthcoming.
I mean it seems like a no-brainer to me. Reduce jail overcrowding, reduce costs, create more racial equality as these types of sentences hit poor minorities in disproportionate numbers. Maybe it's a step towards a serious change in our country's drug policy. Punishment and prohibition have never worked with these "victimless" crimes (and yes I realize burglary is not victimless).
Just a quick one to get the word out. I'll probably get swamped by the NM SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality, but didn't want this to wait. This also hits home for me a bit because I've been considering starting one of those White House petitions to encourage this exact type of action - pardon every single non-violent drug offender who is serving time in the country.
While this isn't that, it's still great news. Well done, President Obama. Please keep them coming.
11:03 AM PT: from Coneria in comments, link to article in the NY Times saying the number is actually 8:
http://www.nytimes.com/...