Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Ujima People’s Progress Party Statement on Governor Wes Moore’s Marijuana Conviction Pardons
Ujima People’s Progress Party
26 Jun 2024
🖨️ Print Article
Wes Moore signing
Photo: Maryland Office of the Governor

Maryland Governor Wes Moore recently issued pardons for over 175,000 people in a show of "progress" in criminal justice reform. But these pardons barely scratch the surface of the destruction of black working-class communities and serve to draw people from the fight for true reparations from the war on drugs.  

One might conclude that Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s pardoning of over 175,000 low-level marijuana convictions is a “step in the right direction” in reforming the criminal justice system. Add to this the timing of the announcement on the eve of the Juneteenth holiday, and the optics make for good public relations for Moore.

But when one peels back the layers of the actual act and Moore’s more significant criminal justice record thus far, it becomes clear that the gesture is more performative public relations than the radical substantive change needed.  We will outline a few reasons why:

  1. Pardons do not expunge criminal records, which is a significant barrier that returning citizens face, be it employment, student debt relief, and often for professional licensing and housing;
  2. No one in Maryland is currently incarcerated for misdemeanor marijuana convictions. The pardons free no one from jail;
  3. This is “back door” action when “front door” action is needed, which impacts charging decisions, pretrial detention, and alternatives such as diversion to mental health programs and mediations of disputes; and most importantly, Initiatives – 2024 | Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (ma4jr.org);
  4. This pardon does not overturn possession convictions for those persons who experience a parole violation as a result of the conviction;
  5. The governor signed the 1990s-style “tough-on-crime” legislation earlier in the year primarily aimed at youth, which all but ensures the pipeline to incarceration will continue—1990s-style tough-on-crime approach wrong for juvenile justice | Juvenile Law Center (jlc.org).

This all occurs in a state that leads the nation in racial disparities in arrest, charges, and incarceration—Rethinking Approaches to Over Incarceration of Black Young Adults in Maryland - Justice Policy Institute.

Moore’s move does nothing to address the pain and suffering especially of Black working class families have endured. The so-called “war on drugs” was in reality a war on the Black community. Instead of bringing justice, the pardon attempts to get ahead of a struggle for reparations that would compensate the victims of that war and for an end to mass incarceration altogether.

Therefore, it is UPP’s position that this act should not be viewed as a significant step in dismantling a clearly racist criminal injustice system simply because it was implemented by a Black face.

For more on UPP, go to our website, www.uppmaryland.org and request a copy of the Progress Report, our fresh off-the-press newsletter, and join us.

Marijuana legalization
Prison
Reformism
Crime

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

Erica Caines
“Crime”, The Trojan Horse For Colonial Control
24 September 2025
The rhetoric of crime prevention has always served to enforce colonial order.
Jon Jeter
Clutching at Pearls, the World’s Largest Criminal Enterprise, the US, Cracks Down on Crime
20 August 2025
The latest liberal discourse on crime offers useless panaceas to analyze the causes of violence and pathologizes communities while ab
PACA protest
Pan-African Community Action PACA
The Federal Takeover of D.C.: The Colonial Occupation Disguised as “Public Safety”
20 August 2025
The deployment of federal agents and National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
ESSAY: Attica Then and Now! Acklyn R. Lynch, 1971
06 August 2025
“The men at Attica were prepared to die for the democratic principles not only enunciated in their Manifesto, but experienced in their revolt…”
Reuven Blau
Blacks and Hispanics Seeking Parole Face Widening Racial Disparity, Report Finds
20 November 2024
After a damning revelation eight years ago, state leaders changed the make-up of the Parole Board to combat inequality.
Orisanmi Burton
An open letter to prison officials on the censorship of Tip of the Spear
09 October 2024
Orisanmi Birton's groundbreaking book, Tip of the Spear, has been listed as contraband in prisons across the country, not only preventing incar
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
REPORT: “The People Who Were Left to Die:” Horrors Suffered by Orleans Parish Prisoners in Wake of Katrina, ACLU, 2006
28 August 2024
Remembering the terrible plight of the incarcerated during Hurricane Katrina.
OJ Simpson at his trial
Gus Griffin
O.J. Simpson and Understanding the Black Support He Never Deserved
17 April 2024
O.J.
Mass incarceration
Max Parthas
The Evolution of Slavery
07 February 2024
In the U.S., a nation built on the enslavement and exploitation of humans, the system of slavery cannot be destroyed. It has mer
Biden's Marijuana Policy Frees No One
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Biden's Marijuana Policy Frees No One
12 October 2022
Biden's announcement of pardons for federal convictions of marijuana possession is meaningless.

More Stories


  • The Black Alliance for Peace Calls on Latin American and Caribbean Nations to Boycott the Summit of the Americas
    Black Alliance For Peace
    The Black Alliance for Peace Calls on Latin American and Caribbean Nations to Boycott the Summit of the Americas
    18 May 2022
    The failure of the U.S. to respect the sovereignty of nations in the region and its decision to exclude states from the Summit disqualifies it from being a credible host. The Black Alliance for Peace…
  • “It Tears You Apart Mentally and Physically”: The Health Crisis Afflicting Black Farmers
    Safiya Charles
    “It Tears You Apart Mentally and Physically”: The Health Crisis Afflicting Black Farmers
    18 May 2022
    Farming is a stressful occupation. Black farmers face the additional burdens of racism, debt, and displacement.
  • Is the U.S. Covering Up its Role in Moïse’s Murder?
    Kim Ives
    Is the U.S. Covering Up its Role in Moïse’s Murder?
    18 May 2022
    The judge presiding over the trial of an accused killer of Haitian president Jovenel Moise granted the DOJ request to classify certain evidence. The action points to a possible US connection with…
  • German Police Attack Palestine Supporters on Nakba Day
    Ali Abunimah
    German Police Attack Palestine Supporters on Nakba Day
    18 May 2022
    The city of Berlin, Germany banned pro-Palestinian protests on May 15, Nakba Day. But solidarity with Palestine could not be stopped.
  • ‘Go back to the plantation’ – Curitiba, Brazil Moves to Impeach Black City Councilor
    Brian Mier
    ‘Go back to the plantation’ – Curitiba, Brazil Moves to Impeach Black City Councilor
    17 May 2022
    The first impeachment process against a city councilor in the 329-year history of Curitiba – the Brazilian city that most cherishes its “European heritage” – is underway, and it has nothing to do…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us