Bernard Noble finally granted parole after being sentenced to 13 years for possessing two marijuana joints

bernard noble was sentenced to 13 years in prison for possessing two marijuana joints. early last month, after serving over eight years in a louisiana prison, noble was finally granted parole. his case drew national attention and considerable outrage, especially after the legalization of marijuana in some states.  

noble was riding his bike up a one-way street the wrong way when he was stopped by the police. they found two marijuana joints in his possession, and he also had two prior low-level drug law violations in his record. 

the drug policy alliance filed a a friend of the court brief in the louisiana supreme court in 2014, calling for judicial relief, but the appeal was denied. in 2015, the board of pardons and parole rejected noble's petition for clemency because he hadn't served more than 10 years in prison.

louisiana state law requires prisoners to have been in custody of the department of corrections for a minimum of 10 years before they'll consider an individual's application for clemency.

noble's sentence highlights the draconian nature of the marijuana laws in many states across the country. attorney general jeff sessions vociferously advocates for these cruel and inhumane policies, and wants to arbitrarily punish first-time, non-violent offenders without legal recourse. 

a number of states, in contrast to louisiana, have legalized and decriminalized possession of marijuana for personal use. according to a new report by the drug policy alliance, total marijuana arrests in legal marijuana states have plummeted - saving hundreds of millions of dollars - sparing thousands of people from a lifetime criminal record. 

more than 500,000 people each year get arrested in the u.s. for getting caught with small amounts of marijuana. their arrests impact not just them as individuals, but their families, their communities, and society as a whole.