By: Jamila Rose
The past few years have been an exciting time for many cannabis investors, industry leaders and users.
Following decades of harsh regulation and stigma, marijuana use has become more and more commonly accepted within the American public.
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Federally, marijuana is still classified as a schedule 1 substance, meaning there is a great risk of abuse and no medical use.
However, many states have realized the error in this classification and begun to lessen their restrictions and even make it fully legal.
Oregon was the first state to decriminalize marijuana use all the way back in 1973, but it took until 2018 for the first state, Vermont, to legalize recreational use.
As of 2020, marijuana is recreationally legal in 11 states, and medically legal in 33.
All of this progression is great news for smokers, but it’s easy to forget those that were left behind, and became casualties of the senseless and discriminatory War on Drugs.
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That’s where the Last Prisoner Project comes in. The Last Prisoner Project is a justice reform initiative with a lofty, yet attainable goal: to free every last prisoner incarcerated for cannabis around the world.
What is the Last Prisoner Project
Their website breaks it down into three major parts: prisoner release, record clearing, and reentry programs.
Across the country, there are 40,000 people incarcerated for nonviolent cannabis offenses.
Seeing as how we can now smoke on the street and buy weed from big dispensaries with no worry, it doesn’t make sense for those individuals to continue to suffer for committing much lesser crimes.
The Last Prisoner Project works with many notable celebrities, industry leaders, and ex-cons to spread awareness about the injustices and hypocrisy of cannabis-related sentencing.
As the cannabis industry goes mainstream, profits are exploding for investors and industry professionals.
Grand View Research predicts that by 2027, the global legal marijuana industry will be worth about $73.6 billion, from a current market value of about $10 billion.
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The hypocrisy of cannabis related wealth and investment comes when we look at the statistics from the War on Drugs.
In one year, the United States can spend up to $81 billion on imprisoning its people. Within the past 35 years, the number of inmates has exploded from 500,000 to over 2.2 million.
Since privatized prisons ensure that judges will find a way to keep the system full, the level of injustice and harsh sentencing will continue to skyrocket if we don’t all work together to intervene and demand fair reform.
The Last Prisoner Project advocates for the release of prisoners by uplifting social justice on the state and federal level, working to reform discriminatory laws and policy.
The project’s Cannabis Clemency Program collaborates with lawyers who work pro-bono to release and clear the records of incarcerated individuals.
Another service offered is the reentry program, which promises “Prison to Prosperity,” working to train and educate individuals in order to lower the high rates of recidivism.
While there is a long way to go, this restorative project has made significant progress.
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In addition to fighting for clemency and to reduce reentry, The Last Prisoner Project has partnered with medical marijuana companies including Harvest Health & Recreation to secure funding for the release of prisons, collaborating with media companies such as High Times, and introducing a Partners for Freedom program which challenges successful cannabis companies to donate to the cause.
As you can see, the Last Prisoner Project is an incredible justice reform program making long-awaited changes.
Especially now that incarceration has become even more life-threatening due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s urgent that we do everything we can to help those who are unjustly losing their life for doing the same thing that is celebrated now.
To get involved, click the link here to sign a petition to protect inmates from COVID-19. You can also contact your local officials, including your governor’s office and department of corrections to demand the immediate decarceration and paroling of inmates.
If you’d like to donate to an emergency relief fund, click here. The fund is currently at $86,421 of a $150,000 goal.
If your loved one is currently incarcerated for cannabis related crimes, you can share their story here.
While we have all been thrilled to witness the relaxation of marijuana laws in this country, it’s important to remember the people who cultivated this way of life and paid the price for it.
By supporting the Last Prisoner Project, we can work to gain justice for prisoners around the world, and help them put their best foot forward upon their release. It’s our responsibility as people freely enjoying cannabis in 2020, and especially those turning a profit.
The reason we can talk, write, and read about marijuana is because of the sacrifices of those who shared the wide benefits of this flower.
It’s time to support those standing up for them, calling out injustices that have occurred and helping wrongly imprisoned people to get their lives back.
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Jamila Rose is a writer who focuses on cannabis culture and lifestyle.