A man in Phoenix, Trent Bouhdida, serving a 16-year sentence for selling an ounce of marijuana was just denied clemency by the state’s clemency board

A man in Phoenix, Trent Bouhdida, is serving a 16-year sentence for selling an ounce of marijuana. He was just denied clemency by the state’s clemency board.

At a clemency hearing on Tuesday, board members weren’t moved by the details of the case and decided the sentence was fair.

“When I first glanced at this file, I was a little bit torn, because I do think selling an ounce of marijuana is not, on its face, deserving of such a lengthy prison sentence,” board chair Mina Méndez said.

The board reviews cases of people several years into prison sentences who believe their sentences should be commuted, as well as capital cases. If the board decides that a commutation is warranted, it passes a recommendation to the governor.