Today, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) released a draft of the 2024 Democratic Party Platform, featuring both the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration and a “bold, progressive agenda for the next four years for President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats to finish the job.”
The Platform focuses on priorities for Democrats up and down the ballot, from growing the economy to lowering costs for families; tackling the climate crisis and securing energy independence; closing the racial wealth gap and investing in small businesses; restoring Roe v. Wade as the law of the land; protecting communities from the scourge of gun violence and protecting freedoms for all Americans; and securing our border and strengthening American leadership worldwide.
Included in the platform is a section on marijuana, which states that “No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana”, while vowing to “take action to expunge federal marijuana-only convictions.”
The DNC says “Sending people to prison for possession has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. Those criminal records impose needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities, disproportionately affecting Black and brown people.”
The party says “President Biden took historic action to end this failed approach by pardoning people convicted federally for using or possessing marijuana. He has called on governors to use their pardon power to do the same for state-level offenses. And his Administration is taking a major step to reschedule marijuana so it’s no longer classified as more dangerous than fentanyl or methamphetamine.”
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a press release, “This Platform highlights the progress that we’ve made since day one of the Biden-Harris Administration and recommits Democrats up and down the ballot to our mission to give every American a fair shot. While Donald Trump and the RNC crafted an extreme MAGA Platform behind closed doors, we know that their real blueprint for a second Trump term is their toxic and dangerous Project 2025 wishlist to rip away Americans’ freedoms, give handouts to billionaires on the backs of working people, and clear the path for Trump to be a dictator on ‘day one.’ The contrast couldn’t be clearer. Our Drafting Committee incorporated a diverse set of expertise and perspectives, inviting Democrats from across the nation to participate in our process and contribute to our Platform. The breadth and depth of this Platform is rooted in our collective experience and reflects a bold agenda that affirms Democrats’ commitment to protecting fundamental freedoms.”
