This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.
We the people ask the federal government to Propose a new Administration policy:

Grant a full pardon to Chris Williams, a man facing 80 years in prison for legally growing Medical Marijuana

Created by M.H. on November 12, 2012

Chris Williams is a Montana man who opened up a Medical Marijuana production facility after 62% of voters approved the law in his state. Chris William's operated his facility according to the law that was passed by Montana voters.

However, his facility was raided by the Federal Government in March of 2011, and he was charged for operating the grow facility.

Mr. Williams was convicted and is facing 80 years in prison. He has been offered numerous plea deals to reduce his sentence, but has refused them because he believes he has committed no crime.

Mr. William's sentence, a sentence that will take him away from his family for the rest of his life, is most certainly cruel and unusual.

We call on President Obama to review the facts of the case and grant Mr. Williams a full Pardon.

Response to Petition

Why We Can't Comment on Chris Williams

By The White House

Thank you for signing the petition "Grant a full pardon to Chris Williams, a man facing 80 years in prison for legally growing medical marijuana" We appreciate your participation in the We the People platform on WhiteHouse.gov.

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the President the authority to grant "Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States." For more than 100 years, Presidents have relied on the Department of Justice and its Office of the Pardon Attorney for assistance in the exercise of this power. Requests for executive clemency for federal offenses should be directed to the Pardon Attorney, who conducts a review and investigation, and prepares the Department’s recommendation to the President. Additional information and application forms are available on the Pardon Attorney's website.

The President takes his constitutional power to grant clemency very seriously, and recommendations from the Department of Justice are carefully considered before decisions are made.  The White House does not comment, however, on individual pardon applications. In accordance with this policy and the We the People Terms of Participation–which explain that the White House may sometimes choose not to respond to petitions addressing certain matters—the White House declines to comment on the specific case addressed in this petition.

Tell us what you think about this response and We the People.

Return to top