Presidential Pardons for Turkeys but not Prisoners on Thanksgiving Day?

Every Thanksgiving, the President of the United States performs an odd tradition: pardoning a turkey. It’s a moment of levity and spectacle, symbolizing mercy in the spirit of the holiday. But behind the smiles and jokes, another group desperately awaits clemency—nonviolent prisoners, many of whom remain incarcerated for outdated and unjust reasons.

One of those prisoners is Edwin Rubis, a man who has spent over two decades in federal prison for a nonviolent cannabis offense. Rubis was sentenced to 40 years for his role in a marijuana distribution operation—an unimaginable punishment for something that is now legal in nearly half the country. While dispensaries thrive and cannabis entrepreneurs celebrate booming markets, people like Rubis remain locked away, forgotten by a system that has moved on without them.

You can learn more about Edwin and how to be involved in this advocacy effort, look at the Beard Brothers article here.

President Biden has the power to change this. In 2022, he issued mass pardons for federal marijuana possession charges, a commendable first step but one that fell short of addressing sentences like Rubis’s. Thanksgiving, with its themes of gratitude and grace, is the perfect moment to extend this spirit beyond ceremonial turkeys and toward real justice.

Releasing all nonviolent prisoners would be a bold step toward dismantling the United States’ mass incarceration crisis. People serving time for nonviolent drug offenses, in particular, are casualties of a war on drugs that has disproportionately targeted marginalized communities. These individuals pose no threat to public safety, yet their lives are stripped away while society benefits from the very industries that condemned them.

If we can find compassion for a turkey, surely we can find it for Edwin Rubis and countless others like him. It’s time to act, not with empty symbolism but with meaningful mercy. This Thanksgiving, as we gather with loved ones, let’s reflect on the lives still waiting for freedom—and demand a justice system that values humanity over hypocrisy.

Edwin Rubis and hundreds more federal prisoners like him, doing hard time for non-violent cannabis crimes, are seeking commutation. These are human beings committed to being productive members of society.

It is time for President Biden to get serious about human rights and mass incarceration.

It is time to free Edwin Rubis.

You can donate directly to this cause HERE 

About Freedom Grow

Freedom Grow is an all-volunteer non-profit 501c3 organization helping cannabis prisoners regain freedom while supporting their sacrifices through ’The Wish Program’. The Wish Program helps prisoners with commissary money, books, magazines, family outreach, and public education.

About Edwin Rubis

Edwin Rubis is serving a 40 year sentence in federal prison for conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana. Convicted in 1998 on these nonviolent charges, Edwin has watched from behind bars as states have continued to legalize cannabis for recreational use and reap the benefits.

About Beard Bros Pharms 

Beard Bros Pharms is an award-winning multinational cannabis brand. They also provide industry information, insights, and guidance to cannabis professionals and consumers via beardbrospharms.com, their weekly newsletters, and social media presence.

With over two decades of cannabis production and grassroots advocacy and activism, Beard Bros combines deep legacy cannabis experience with a commitment to quality and justice.

Related Posts

Cannabis slang terms
Culture

The Top 50 Weed Slang Terms

As we all know, marijuana is celebrated worldwide and embraced by a culture filled with enthusiasts, and it often goes by various slang terms. From devil’s lettuce to wacky tobaccy

Read More »