Last Prisoner Project

We are so grateful to our partners at Dutchie who have matched $1 million in donations (raising a total of $2 million) to help further our mission to #FreeAllCannabisPrisoners! "We are proud of the funds we’ve been able to raise through this partnership. During this campaign, we have been able to redress the harms of cannabis prohibition by advancing crucial criminal justice and drug policy reforms. Our work is not possible without the support of the legal industry and those who power it, like Dutchie.” Mary Bailey, LPP Managing Director Funds raised through this partnership have contributed directly to legal representation that has saved Last Prisoner Project constituents from 100+ years of prison time and new grants to help formerly incarcerated individuals reenter society. 👏🏼👏🏾👏🏿 https://lnkd.in/erC-4cqx

Supporting those most impacted by the war on drugs is always worth celebrating! 🌱⚖️ Dutchie has teamed up with Last Prisoner Project to raise a whopping $2 million to help release people wrongfully imprisoned for cannabis. This incredible achievement means more individuals can finally return home to their loved ones. Together, we're making a difference in the fight for cannabis justice. Let's keep the momentum going! Read more here: https://hubs.li/Q02MKMwV0 #CannabisReform #FreedomForAll

In response to the 43,000+ public comments that were submitted, the DEA has now scheduled a hearing to weigh opinions on the Justice Department's proposal to federally reschedule cannabis. This hearing means that a final decision would not be made until well after the November Presidential election, which could impact the rescheduling process. Find out what this news means and get our thoughts on our blog: https://lnkd.in/eQj7BEx7

Cannabis will officially be on the ballot in South Dakota come November! In 2020, voters passed a measure that was opposed by Governor Noem and later struck down in court. In 2022, the measure did not secure enough votes (likely due to the fact that it was not an election year and therefore voter turnout was down). Now, voters will have a third opportunity to make South Dakota the 25th state to legalize adult-use, recreational cannabis. Read more on this news via The Associated Press: https://lnkd.in/eXGB-VTm

LPP constituent Ricardo Ashmeade has served 16 years of his 19-year sentence for a victimless cannabis-related offense. Now, he's asking President Biden to finally bring him home. In a letter written last month, Ricardo asks the President to grant him clemency—his only chance of returning home early to his family. He has served 85% of his sentence, dedicated his time to bettering himself through good behavior and course work, and has been deemed a very low risk for recidivism. "I am hopeful," Ricardo writes, "that through your consideration for commutation, the remaining 15% of my sentence (approximately 3 years), can be spent with my wife, mother, children and loved ones, whom I dearly miss." "I commend your efforts in the initiative to de-schedule marijuana ... reflecting your commitment to justice for non-violent marijuana offenders. I respectfully request to be considered among those deserving of an early release through the upcoming clemency process." Share Ricardo's story and tell President Biden to #FreeRicardoAshmeade: https://lnkd.in/e2fKsP4N

The delegates of the Democratic National Convention have officially approved the party’s platform, which touts President Biden’s actions on cannabis reform as a part of the criminal justice policy statement. The section reiterates the President’s stance that no one should be incarcerated for cannabis possession and states that democrats will “take action to expunge federal marijuana-only convictions.” This is a necessary action that LPP and other advocates have repeatedly called on Congress to take as the cannabis pardons President Biden executed during his term do not fully effectuate record clearance. The platform does not include any mention of or call for broader decriminalization. Nor does it acknowledge the ~3,000 individuals incarcerated for victimless cannabis offenses beyond possession at the federal level that deserve release. It should be noted that the platform was drafted prior to President Biden dropping out of the election. VP Harris has privately called for the decriminalization of cannabis on the federal level and her running mate Governor Walz was responsible for legalizing cannabis in Minnesota in 2023. But how that will impact their future policies on cannabis is still unknown at this point. Meanwhile, the Republican party did not mention cannabis reform anywhere in their official platform. Read the 2024 Democratic Party Platform in full at https://lnkd.in/ej_V67bp

A new Arizona Supreme Court ruling is paving the way for criminal sentences to be reduced if the case involved cannabis. This is huge news for those in the state who continue to serve time for cannabis-related offenses, despite the state legalizing adult-use in 2020. One of those individuals is Robert Deals, an Air Force veteran with PTSD currently serving an 18-year sentence for cannabis-related offenses. He’s served over 12 years of that sentence while his daughter, Alicia Deals, works with Last Prisoner Project to fight for his freedom. We will keep you updated as we learn more about how this ruling could impact his case and others. Read more about the new ruling here: https://lnkd.in/ex4rkyhY

For the first time in history, all major-party nominees (and their vice presidential running mates) have said they do not believe anyone should be in jail for using cannabis. But do their records match their words? Swipe to find out what and read more on our blog: https://lnkd.in/eqtNnj2h *This post is for informational purposes only. As a 501c3, Last Prisoner Project does not endorse political candidates.

We hope you'll join us at our Journey To Justice Gala in New York City on Sept. 24th! Together, we'll honor our constituents and celebrate the impacted heroes of the cannabis industry. Thank you to our premiere sponsor Josh Kesselman and all our partners helping to make this night possible including Dutchie, Goodwin, Edie Parker, Delisioso, iAnthus, Jeeter - a DreamFields Brand, Green Thumb Industries (GTI), The Redemption Foundation, Rise Dispensary, Wana Brands, Weedmaps, Primitiv Group, and PAX. Learn more and get your tickets here 👉 https://lnkd.in/d8jx7pHr

Voting for SXSW’s 2025 #PanelPicker is open now thru 8/18 and we're proposing two incredible panels featuring LPP's Mary Bailey, Jason Ortiz, Donte West and Kyle Page as well as Jared Moffat, Ismail Lourida Ali, and Diane Goldstein. Vote here for "Incarceration to Inspiration: Pathways to Cannabis Justice" 👉 https://lnkd.in/dy5wjEy8 Vote here for "The Social Justice Promise of Psychedelic Decriminalization" 👉 https://lnkd.in/dxiqzVnj