--- title: Barack Obama Shortens the Sentences of 102 Drug Offenders description: President Obama continued his efforts to lessen the impact of our nation's drug laws by shortening the sentences of 102 drug offenders canonical: https://time.com/4521948/president-obama-commute-102-drug-offenders/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-06T21:07:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:03:49.120Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Obama Shortens the Sentences of 102 Drug Offenders og:description: He's now commuted more sentences than the past 11 presidents combined og:url: https://time.com/4521948/president-obama-commute-102-drug-offenders/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7a8f0b491c4451b/6988a9080b72e36ac46eb430/gettyimages-480937300.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3777 og:image:height: 2125 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-OBAMA-PRISON og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Obama Shortens the Sentences of 102 Drug Offenders twitter:description: He's now commuted more sentences than the past 11 presidents combined twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7a8f0b491c4451b/6988a9080b72e36ac46eb430/gettyimages-480937300.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Shortens the Sentences of 102 Drug Offenders > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Oct 6, 2016 9:07 PM UTC  Barack Obama, alongside Charles Samuels (R), Bureau of Prisons Director, and Ronald Warlick (L), a correctional officer, tours a cell block at the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma, July 16, 2015. Barack Obama, alongside Charles Samuels (R), Bureau of Prisons Director, and Ronald Warlick (L), a correctional officer, tours a cell block at the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma, July 16, 2015. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Oct 6, 2016 9:07 PM UTC President Obama continued his efforts to lessen the impact of our nation’s drug laws on Thursday by shortening the sentences of [102 drug offenders](https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/784123156923420672). Obama has now granted executive commutations to 774 drug offenders, more than any of the past 11 presidents, according to the White House. > [](https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/784123156923420672) The clemency efforts have been part of a broader criminal justice reform effort, though [bills addressing mandatory minimum sentences have stalled in Congress](http://time.com/3686797/charles-koch-criminal-justice/?iid=sr-link1). A 2010 law that reduced the sentencing disparity for crack and powder cocaine did a lot to help, but because it was not retroactive, many who were hit with long sentences were left behind bars. In 2013, President Obama issued his first round of executive clemency that [specifically targeted crack-cocaine offenders](http://time.com/7080/obamas-legacy-project/), releasing eight who had each spent at least 20 years in prison. Many had been sentenced to life behind bars. Since then, commutations have continued. Toward the beginning of 2016, the administration vowed to do regular releases ahead of the president’s departure from office. Under Obama’s most recent order, 34 prisoners who’d received life imprisonment for drug trafficking crimes now have shorter sentences. 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