Last Prisoner Project

In the last year, the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) has taken steps to better reflect the current legal and policy landscape surrounding cannabis activity. One of these steps included passing an amendment to suggest judges treat those with prior cannabis possession offenses more leniently—a move that allowed LPP constituent Clarence Adams to reduce his sentence by a year. However, LPP is urging them to go further, specifically to amend the sentencing guidelines to exclude prior cannabis possession offenses from criminal history scores entirely. There is no evidence that cannabis possession convictions are valid predictors of future criminal behavior (and thus do not endanger public safety). For this reason, they should be excluded from individuals’ criminal history score calculations. The USSC will be meeting on August 8th to discuss further amendments. We look forward to their decision and hope they provide retroactive relief. Read our full comments: https://lnkd.in/eHby77wU

Proud to partner with Native Roots Cannabis Co. as they champion Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Sustainability, Wellness, and Community through their annual charity efforts. Let's collaborate on meaningful partnerships while supporting initiatives like the Last Prisoner Project. Consumers, order delivery and join us in making a difference. Learn more about Native Roots' commitment in Stephen J. Post, MPA's insightful article. #BetterDaysAreOnTheWay https://lnkd.in/g65svH6t

There's a lot of discussion around the evolution of the Vice President Harris' stance on cannabis and criminal justice reform. Swipe to break down what her record reveals and stay tuned for a full breakdown next week of each presidential candidate's records on cannabis reform. More via Marijuana Moment: https://lnkd.in/edQmqqN6

With just months left in President Biden's term—and thousands still behind bars for cannabis-related offenses—what will happen to cannabis justice in 2024? We're breaking it down tomorrow.

LPP constituent Andrew Landells has served 12 years of his 15-year sentence for cannabis but that has not stopped him from becoming a published author! During his incarceration, Andrew has acted as a mentor and business tutor, writing curriculum and tutoring others on the re-entry process. He is passionate about mental health awareness and providing tools for people to become their best selves. "360° The Point of No Return,” available now on Amazon, is a reentry guide for those seeking to rebuild their lives after incarceration. The book offers a comprehensive curriculum covering financial empowerment, real estate investment, personal development, and entrepreneurship. Check out his book here: https://lnkd.in/eqaeefRT

There is currently no expungement mechanism for federal cannabis records. The Marijuana Misdemeanor Expungement Act hopes to rectify that. The bipartisan federal bill, reintroduced to Congress earlier this month, would create a no-cost option for individuals to petition for their records to be expunged. If the Act becomes law, petitions for expungement could be filed at no cost. Records of federal charges for possession or sharing small amounts of cannabis, as well as records related to probation following those charges, would be eligible. “People who had no chance to get their record cleared [will] have the ability to confidently check a box, ‘I have never been convicted of an offense.' That’s huge.” — Adrian Rocha, LPP Policy Manager Read more via Filter Magazine: https://lnkd.in/eDF6wVR3

This April, the DEA moved to officially reschedule cannabis to a Schedule III drug. While notable, this would do nothing to change how the criminal legal system punishes cannabis users. In a public comment, we explain how cannabis-related criminalization and incarceration have posed significant long-term health risks to our nation, particularly in communities of color. The facts: ✅ Despite similar rates of use, Black people in the U.S. are 3x as likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white people. ✅ Each year in prison takes 2 years off an individual’s life expectancy. ✅ Mass incarceration has shortened the overall U.S. life expectancy by 5 years. ✅ Incarcerated individuals are often subject to unsanitary conditions, environmental hazards, uninhabitable living quarters, and lack basic medical access, nutritional sustenance, and mental health resources. ✅ Individuals who are incarcerated are more likely to have high blood pressure, asthma, cancer, arthritis, and infectious diseases. The mere rescheduling of cannabis only perpetuates the public health risks associated with incarceration. We urge the DEA to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act entirely for the sake of our nation’s public health. Read our full comment and find out how you can issue your own public comment before July 22nd here: https://lnkd.in/etD8mmmE

Another cannabis prisoner is nearly home 💚 We are happy to share that LPP constituent Robert "Bobby" Capelli has been released to a reentry facility after serving more than 4 years of his 95-month sentence. Bobby was sentenced in 2019 to nearly 8 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 1000 kg or more of cannabis. Despite the state of Connecticut legalizing adult-use just two years later, Bobby remained incarcerated until this month. As an LPP constituent, we provided Bobby with pro-bono legal representation through the Cannabis Justice Initiative (our partnership with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) as well as commissary funding and letters of support. “Losing years of my life in prison for a cannabis conviction was cruel, unjust and unbearable. The pain of subjecting my life in a cage for years on end seemed like an impossible task but the Last Prisoner Project picked me up when I was down. Between [LPP Managing Director] Mary Bailey, [law firm] Goodwin Procter, [criminal defense attorney] Liz Budnitz, the commissary assistance and all the letters of support from the LPP subscribers I was able to make it back home to my beautiful wife Bianca. Thank you for everything LPP!!!” — Bobby Capelli Read more about Bobby's story on our blog: https://lnkd.in/eCspJ4uT

We are proud to release our 2023 annual report, detailing all the work we’ve accomplished over the course of the last year. In our fourth year of operations, we’ve continued to scale our core programs and hit key milestones, like the representation of over 240 individuals through our legal and constituent support programs and the deployment of over $2.5 million through our reentry and commissary grant funds. We are on the precipice of the most significant shift in cannabis policy in our nation’s history and the work of LPP is more needed than ever. Thank you to all who enable us to achieve our mission, and know that we will not stop until the last cannabis prisoner is truly free. Read our full 2023 annual report here: https://lnkd.in/e2g2D8Yu

Rapper Wiz Khalifa has apologized after being arrested in Romania for drug possession. While performing this weekend at the Beach Please! Festival, he was captured on video smoking cannabis on stage. It is currently illegal to consume and possess cannabis in Romania as the country still considers it a “high-risk drug.” Thankfully, Wiz was released and will not face criminal charges. Wiz posted on X: “Last night’s show was amazing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage. They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big a– joint next time.” While we are relieved to hear that Wiz was let go, had he been convicted he would have faced up to 10 years in prison for a completely victimless act. We hope that celebrities like Wiz Khalifa and Nicki Minaj (who was detained in the Netherlands for cannabis in May) will take these experiences to heart and use their platforms to advocate for the tens of thousands of people who are incarcerated for the exact same thing in the U.S. Read more: https://lnkd.in/evFk6p5S