Meet the man serving a 40-year sentence for a nonviolent cannabis attack and awaiting Biden’s pardon

Edwin Rubis has served 27 years of a 40-year sentence in federal prison after being convicted of non-violent cannabis offenses in the late 1990s. Cannabis and criminal justice reform advocates are calling for his release through a presidential pardon in the Biden administration.

Rubis, now 56, was 29 years old and had one child with another on the way when the DEA arrested him in 1998 and charged him with conspiracy to distribute cannabis. No drugs, weapons or money were found in Edwin’s possession. Nevertheless, he was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

In the 27 years he has served so far, Rubis has been a model inmate, earning three college degrees and completing over 30 rehabilitation programs. Without government intervention, his earliest release date would not be until 2031, when he would be 63 years old.

“I don’t belong in prison anymore. I’m not a threat to society. The Bureau of Prisons has classified me as a non-violent, low-level offender for recidivism purposes. I’m a non-violent cannabis offender. I believe in redemption,” Rubis said in a Beard Bros Pharm Press release. “I am a compassionate and approachable person who does not judge others by their culture, beliefs or religion, but by the intentions of their heart. I am honest and loyal; responsible and reliable. I deserve a second chance in life.”

His parents are in their 80s and Edwin wants to see them again. His three adult children have been away from their father’s presence for most of their lives, noted Beard Bros, a heritage brand and media company that is calling on President Joe Biden to grant Rubis a full pardon and release him from federal prison.

Read also: Federal marshals raid legal medical marijuana store in Texas: Why the big guns? Advocates say ‘It’s absurd’

Biden’s unfulfilled promise

On October 6, 2022, Biden issued a general pardon for past offenses of simple cannabis possession that violated federal law and the DC Code. In December 2023, Biden expanded the pardon to include offenses of cannabis use and simple possession and called on state governors to do the same.

Still nothing: There have been no pardons for federal prisoners serving time for non-violent cannabis crimes. Beard Bros Pharm points out that Rubis “is not the only prisoner who fits this description, but his continued incarceration is a reminder of this administration’s half-hearted moves on cannabis reform and his immediate release would be a sign of the Democratic Party’s commitment to future criminal justice reform.”

Since President Biden is not running for re-election, he has just over two months until Election Day and more than four months until the new president is sworn in to “right what he calls ‘historic wrongs'” and grant Edwin Rubis a full presidential pardon.

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Photo courtesy of Last Prisoner Project