VIDEO Discussion: Denver Broncos Demaryus Thomas' mom one of the prisoners serving time under harsh drug sentencing laws

On Monday, July 13, 2015, President Barack Obama granted clemency to the prison sentences of 46 non-violent drug offenders, and one of those prisoners who is set to be freed is the mother of Denver Broncos Demaryius Thomas.

Katrina Smith, the mother of the Denver Broncos wide receiver, incarcerated since 2000, was arrested along with his grandmother, Minnie Pearl Thomas, in 1999 for narcotics trafficking when Demaryius was only 11-years-old.

Smith refused to testify against her mother in exchange for a reduced sentence and was scheduled to be released in 2017, while Minnie Pearl Thomas received a life sentence as a multiple offender.

Now, thanks to President Obama, Katrina Smith will be reunited with her son on November 10, 2015.

The White House issued a press release explaining the action, saying that “federal sentencing practices can, in too many instances, lead nonviolent drug offenders to spend decades, if not life, in prison.”

These unduly harsh sentences are one of the reasons the president is committed to using all the tools at his disposal to remedy unfairness in our criminal justice system. Today, he is continuing this effort by granting clemency to 46 men and women, nearly all of whom would have already served their time and returned to society if they were convicted of the exact same crime today.

Upon hearing the news, Demaryius posted on twitter:

“God is good.. Great news today, my best lady come home November 10.. Godbless..