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Gifts that Support Cannabis Justice this 4/20

Stephen Post • Apr 16, 2024

This 4/20, consider giving your stoner gifts with purpose. By choosing gifts that align with the mission of the Last Prisoner Project, you can make a significant impact on the lives of those affected by outdated cannabis laws. Here's a guide to stylish presents that also contribute to the Last Prisoner Project's mission of achieving reparative justice in the cannabis community.


The Pleasures x Reebok Club C Bulc “Not Guilty” Sneaker

Los Angeles streetwear label Pleasures and Reebok have cooked up a sneaker for 4/20, but rather than play around with stoner stereotypes or motifs they’ve decided to make a more serious point about who’s been left behind in the process of marijuana legalization. They were made to call attention to those who are still incarcerated for marijuana charges, even as the drug has been widely legalized across the United States. The sneakers come as part of a wider a T-shirt, shorts and hoodie. To coincide with the capsule, Reebok has pledged to donate $10,000 to Last Prisoner Project


Lucky Brand Highest Quality Collection

Lucky Brand’s Highest Quality Capsule Collection, features cannabis-inspired styles made with elevated techniques, exemplifying the casual cool and culturally relevant lifestyle of laid-back comfort. The campaign highlights stories of the progression of cannabis perception in society by showcasing a variety of personal perspectives – from criminalization to culture to agriculture. $10 from every Highest Quality item sold in April 2024 will be donated to Last Prisoner Project.


Last Prisoner Project Merch Store

Buy cannabis reform hoodies, t-shirts, hats and other merchandise that let you advocate for social justice and cannabis reform everywhere you go. These items go directly to LPP’s funds to support our constituents and run our programs.


FashionKush "Cannabis Is Not A Crime" Sweatshirt

Make a statement for social justice & cannabis reform with our Cannabis is Not a Crime collection... because no one should be in jail for weed. $1 from each purchase of our Cannabis is Not a Crime collection will be donated to our friends at the last prisoner project in support of their efforts to redress the harms caused by cannabis prohibition through Last Prisoner Project's Constituent Support Fund.


The 420 Grassland Runwell 41mm Watch

Designed in collaboration with actor and Michigan native Quincy Isaiah, the Grassland Runwell is created to bring awareness to the racial disparity in marijuana arrests and help drive long-needed change. A portion of the proceeds of each watch—limited to 420 pieces—is pledged to support criminal justice reform policies.


“How a Plant Became Illegal” T-Shirt

As millions walk into their local dispensaries every day to buy cannabis, there are tens of thousands incarcerated for doing the very same thing. ⁣Last Prisoner Project’s collaboration with For Everyone Collective aims to raise awareness for those impacted by cannabis prohibition and shed light on this injustice. ⁣⁣⁣The shirts were designed and printed by formerly incarcerated people and all profits from this collection will go towards LPP’s Constituent Support Fund to aid those currently incarcerated for cannabis offenses. ⁣


Purchase Cannabis from Justice Partners

Our Roll It Up For Justice Program is a nationwide campaign encouraging cannabis businesses to give customers the opportunity to donate to Last Prisoner Project at check out.  Small change can make a big impact, and every cent raised through the program gets us closer to the day when every last cannabis prisoner is set free. No dispensary around you currently participating? Encourage your budtender to check it out. And as always, make sure to buy weed from the people that have been traditionally criminalized the most including Black, Latine, LGBTQ+, and women legacy operators.


Cheech and Chong Judges Water

The Judge's Water™ is a treasure for any true vodka lover, and the bottle is every stoner's
dream… But for us, this project is more than just a cool concept. With over half a century advocating for the green, and a couple of mugshots to show for it, Cheech and Chong have seen firsthand the sting of outdated drug laws. Millions of Americans are locked up in states where cannabis is legal for non-violent drug offenses. All because of the backwards drug laws we've had in this country for decades. That just doesn’t sit right with us, man. It's a harsh reality we want to help change. That’s why a portion of all proceeds from The Judge’s Water™ are going to support The Last Prisoner Project’s mission to ensure that every last cannabis prisoner is released, & to help reintegrate them back into society. 


GRAV Classic Spoon

As part of our ongoing partnership with Last Prisoner Project, we’ve teamed up to release a limited edition spoon. This glossy black hand pipe features the same high-capacity bowl and inverted ash-catching mouthpiece as our Classic Spoon. It’s also etched with both the GRAV and LPP emblems. Pass it around and get the conversation started. 100% of proceeds will be donated to the Last Prisoner Project.


CHNGE.com Cannabis Equity Clothing

Nobody Should be in Prison for Weed! CHNGE.com has created this line of cannabis equity clothing in support of The Last Prisoner Project and Marijuana Matters, two non-profits focused on cannabis criminal justice reform and economic opportunity in regulated cannabis markets for those disadvantaged by marijuana’s criminalization. Shop their tees, crop tops, and longsleeves here.


Make a Donation to Last Prisoner Project

If your stoner friends already have every cool accessory on the market, consider making a direct donation in their name to the Last Prisoner Project, to support our work to free people incarcerated for cannabis offenses.

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DEA Moves to Officially Reschedule Cannabis

By Sarah Gersten • 30 Apr, 2024
Rescheduling is not legalization, and the existing penalties for cannabis remain unchanged. In October of 2022, President Biden made a series of historic cannabis-related executive actions , including initiating a review by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice on how cannabis is scheduled under federal law. In August 2023, HHS recommended rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug and referred it to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for final approval. Today, the DEA announced its decision to approve the HHS recommendation to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III. The proposal now goes to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to review the rule. If approved by OMB, the proposed rescheduling would go to public comment before being finalized. This historic announcement is the culmination of years of advocacy by Last Prisoner Project (LPP) and other advocacy groups to push the federal government to better reflect the public’s view on cannabis. While the move is undoubtedly a step forward for the movement, it does not meet LPP’s goal to fully remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and its associated criminal penalties. So then, what exactly does this schedule change mean for cannabis justice reform? While the action could result in some favorable tax and banking reform for the cannabis industry and more dedicated research for cannabis patients, there are no changes in how the criminal legal system punishes cannabis users. Rescheduling is a peripheral change that signals the reevaluation of cannabis, but not the release of cannabis prisoners or relief for those who continue to be burdened by the lasting consequences of the carceral system. In short, this announcement represents progress but not justice. Despite not achieving full legalization, we must use this historic moment to push the fight for cannabis justice forward by broadening the scope of Biden’s cannabis clemency action, working with Congress and certain administrative agencies to both provide retroactive relief and to reduce prospective cannabis criminal enforcement, and incentivizing states to provide broad retroactive relief, particularly in states that have adopted a fully legal cannabis market. Learn more about ways cannabis justice advocates can leverage this change to advance reforms in our recent memo . LPP is committed to continuing the fight for cannabis justice until everyone is fully free from the harms of the War on Drugs. This means advocating for cannabis to be fully descheduled. To ensure we keep the pressure on descheduling, retroactive relief, and full legalization, Last Prisoner Project helped organize the largest bipartisan group of cannabis advocates in Washington D.C. on April 18th, 2024 for our 420 Unity Day of Action to urge Congress and the President to take further action. Last Prisoner Project believes that complete descheduling is a necessary step towards correcting past injustices and creating a fair and equitable criminal legal system. We will continue to leverage the momentum achieved from our advocacy to ensure that individuals burdened with past cannabis convictions have their records expunged and all cannabis prisoners are released, regardless of the federal scheduling decision.

President Biden Grants Clemency to 16 Non-Violent Drug Offenders, But No Cannabis Offenses Included

By Stephen Post • 27 Apr, 2024
President Joe Biden made a statement Wednesday announcing a decision to pardon 11 people convicted of non-violent drug charges and commuted the sentences of five others. "America is a nation founded on the promise of second chances," he said . "We also recommit to building a criminal justice system that lives up to those ideals and ensures that everyone receives equal justice under law." Despite this positive use of his clemency powers, President Biden again failed to include any people still in prison at the federal level for cannabis offenses which is estimated to be at least 3,000 individuals. Even though he has provided record relief to almost 13,000 people with his expanded cannabis possession pardons, the President has failed to release a single person in prison for cannabis. Last Prisoner Project Executive Director, Sarah Gersten said, "While we are encouraged to see the President use his clemency power to commute the sentences of those incarcerated for drug offenses, we are hopeful that the administration will fulfill their promises both to use the clemency power more robustly as well as to commute the sentences of those still incarcerated for cannabis." "The Administration has made it clear that cannabis reform is a priority and one that will energize their electorate. To truly make an impact that will sway voters come November the president needs to take action to release the estimated 3,000 individuals still incarcerated for cannabis federally." We hope that President Biden recognizes that releasing people with cannabis offenses doesn't require legalization. They demand executive action. If he is looking for the next batch of candidates for clemency, we have already sent him a list of deserving individuals whose petitions are sitting with the Office of the Pardon Attorney. He simply needs to act on them. We recently rallied advocates at the White House on our 420 Unity Day of Action to demand their freedom and encourage the public to help tell Congress and the President to take further action.

Donte West Joins Jason Flom on Wrongful Conviction Podcast to Discuss His Unjust Cannabis Sentence

By Stephen Post • 26 Apr, 2024
Listen on: iHeartRadio | Pandora | Spotify | RSS On March 8, 2016, Officer Nicholas Blake became suspicious of two vehicles traveling together on Interstate 70 toward Manhattan, KS due to their appearance and registration inconsistencies. He suspected they were involved in drug trafficking, with one acting as a decoy. Following a series of stops and surveillances by multiple law enforcement officers, a considerable amount of marijuana and methamphetamine was found in one of the vehicles leading to the arrest of Donte Westmoreland and others. Westmoreland was convicted based largely on the testimony of an informant, Jacob Gadwood, who claimed to have bought marijuana from Donte, but the informant's credibility was later questioned, and a prosecutorial deal ensuring Gadwood would not be charged with a crime was never disclosed. Donte Westmoreland is a decriminalization and anti-incarceration advocate whose experience with the criminal justice system changed his life forever. With a no criminal record score, and nothing illegal in his possession, Donte was arrested and convicted on charges that were later overturned. He spent three years imprisoned, where with the support of the facility's Warden and staff, he worked to fight his charges and also spoke to area teens about his experience with law enforcement and the courts. He was released on October 15, 2020 and is re-establishing his life in northern California where he works with the Last Prisoner Project to help free anyone incarcerated on cannabis related charges. Learn more about Donte in recent stories by Cannabis & Tech , Missouri Independent , and ABC . To learn more and get involved, visit: https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/ https://fromtheearth.com/missouri/independence-menu/?dtche%5Bpath%5D=brands%2Fwest-by-illicit We started the Wrongful Conviction podcast to provide a voice to innocent people in prison. We want to hear your voices, too. So call us at 833-207-4666 and leave us a message. Tell us how these powerful, often tragic and sometimes triumphant, stories make you feel. Shocked? Inspired? Motivated? We want to know! We may even include your story in a future episode. And hey, the more of you that join in, the more power our collective voices will have. So tell a friend to listen and to call us too at 833-207-4666. Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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