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Just Cannabis Ep. 4 — Through A Daughter’s Eyes ft. Richeda Ashmeade

Mikelina Belaineh • April 13, 2023

In Episode 4 of Just Cannabis, host Mikelina Belaineh interviews Richeda Ashmeade, a law student and poet whose father was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for a nonviolent cannabis crime. In this conversation, Richeda details the ways her father’s cannabis incarceration has rippled through the lives of her family and community and shares how she’s found healing through advocacy and art. 

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Richeda’s father, Ricardo Ashmeade, was incarcerated when she was just 12 years old. She started our conversation by describing the fond memories they have together, explaining how her dad is and always has been her best friend. Richeda is named after her father, and apparently, before she was born Ricardo (accurately) predicted that the two of them would share a deep connection. In the episode, Richeda recalls that their bond was so strong that even incarceration could not divide them. When Richeda was younger, it was Ricardo that would take Richeda shopping for new outfits and treat her to getting her hair and nails done. Ricardo would even sit alongside her, sharing in these self-care rituals.


Ricardo is currently serving a 262-month sentence for a victimless cannabis offense. Charged and convicted of cannabis conspiracy, Ricardo’s lengthy sentence is the unjust outcome of a three-strikes mandatory minimum. Three strikes laws can vary slightly in tone and tenor depending on the jurisdiction, but on both the federal and state level, they generally stipulate that if an individual has two prior felony convictions, upon the third conviction they are automatically sentenced to a lengthier sentence—or all-too-often, mandatory life imprisonment.


These three-strikes laws are a legacy of the 1980s and 1990s era “War on Drugs.” In the early ’90s, notions of “Black criminality” overwhelmed the airwaves, screens, and minds of citizens and policymakers. This resulted in The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, commonly known as the “94 Crime Bill.” This legislation created powerful funding incentives (billions of dollars) that encouraged states to invest in more policing and incarceration. The federal government basically said, “Hey states, you’re eligible for these multimillion-dollar grants if you pass these excessively punitive laws, criminalize drug use, put more officers in the streets, and build more jails and prisons.” 


When Ricardo was charged, it had been 14 years and 11 months since his previous cannabis offense. Had he been charged only a few days later, the three-strikes law wouldn’t have applied to his case. It’s clear the prosecution was primed for maximal punishment from the start. The government took Ricardo from his life and family for being associated with individuals who sold cannabis. If Ricardo had accepted the plea deal the prosecution had tried to push on him, he would have been home years ago. However, he took his case to trial—and was punished with a substantially longer sentence because of it. Ricardo’s story is a clear demonstration of how our criminal legal system is designed to pursue punishment for punishment’s sake, independent of justice or public safety considerations. 


Today, Richeda is Ricardo’s champion on the outside. Richeda was exposed to a new world of possibilities when she went to college and started learning more about the impact of legal and legislative advocacy. Still overwhelmed by the injustice of her father’s incarceration, Richeda found hope and healing through organizing. She didn’t know how to help her dad, so she reclaimed her power by dedicating herself to helping others. Richeda’s advocacy saw her organize and campaign for  Proposition 64, the bill that legalized adult-use cannabis in California. Following Prop 64’s passage, Richeda and Ricardo worked together to get his felony reclassified to a misdemeanor—and hope once again seemed possible. However, despite this reclassification, the federal courts refused to re-sentence Ricardo accordingly. He now sits in prison, serving out an almost 22-year sentence for a non-violent misdemeanor cannabis offense


Even though her father wasn’t re-sentenced and released under Prop 64, Richeda found new seeds of hope when she saw the ways in which the law could potentially help her dad. This small win fortified her in her mission. With the encouragement of her father, she applied and gained admittance to law school, l where she currently working to acquire the skills and knowledge that will aid her in her fight for justice. 


Throughout the interview, Richeda details her experience as a daughter of an incarcerated father, reminding us that the impact of the “War on Cannabis” reaches far past the individual bodies kept behind bars. When our criminal legal system incarcerates someone, we are caging individuals who belong to partners, families, and communities. The choice to punish changes the lives of everyone who loves that person, catalyzing a series of traumas that are far-reaching and long-lasting. Richeda explains how her mom, her sisters, and her grandma are all suffering—collateral damage in the government's war on cannabis. Yet, this experience remains unseen, unnamed, and uncounted—a gap wanting for attention and healing. 


At the beginning of her father’s incarceration, Richeda struggled to talk about it– the pain was just too much. It was her father’s consistent and brave modeling of vulnerability that helped guide her from the darkness of shame to the light of truth. Her father showed her how tears can cleanse, and what power can be found in bold vulnerability. Richeda realized she had to let herself feel the hurt of injustice in order to heal, and that she needed to heal in order to help her dad’s cause. Richeda’s story, intertwined with her father’s, is no anomaly. It is a story all too familiar for far too many. Richeda asserts that making space for womxyn in cannabis justice is not about a hierarchy of harm, but rather about making space for the whole truth. Richeda has found healing through her art and advocacy, using her voice as a spoken word artist, and as a leader in the cannabis justice movement. Richeda and Ricardo’s story reminds us that healing is a critical and necessary part of advocacy and that our stories are part of our power.


You can help support Richeda’s advocacy by signing Ricardo’s clemency petition here.


[1] https://casetext.com/case/robinson-v-united-states-526#N196622

VA Governor Youngkin Vetoes Cannabis Resentencing Bill That Would Have Freed Thousands, But Approves Cannabis Record Relief

By Stephen Post • March 25, 2025
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Governor Youngkin has once again vetoed a critical cannabis justice bill. Despite overwhelming support from Virginia’s General Assembly, the governor has chosen to deny relief to thousands of individuals who remain incarcerated or under state supervision for cannabis-related offenses—convictions tied to laws that have since changed. Last year, Youngkin vetoed a similar bill designed by Last Prisoner Project (LPP), denying potential freedom to more than 1,844 people. This year, the legislature advanced two key bills aimed at providing relief. HB 2555 would have created a sentence modification process for individuals still impacted by outdated cannabis laws. Instead of signing this measure into law, Youngkin has once again chosen to uphold the injustices of the past. Luckily, the other bill, SB 1466, which will streamline state-initiated expungements for cannabis offenses, sealing ancillary records such as probation violations and failures to appear related to past cannabis charges, was approved by Gov. Youngkin, but will be sent back to the legislature with amendments. The Commonwealth should be concerned that the Governor admits cannabis is both the cause of and contribution to thousands of individual's criminal sentences but it is unwilling to adopt a solution to prioritize relief while preserving a commitment to public safety by vesting oversight throughout the process. The governor's office ultimately approved record relief for certain cannabis convictions, but for those behind bars, this administration has once again failed to deliver lasting change. LPP has been at the forefront of the fight for justice in Virginia. Our Director of Policy, Adrian Rocha, provided testimony in support of these bills, underscoring the urgent need to right the wrongs of cannabis prohibition. Additionally, LPP's Director of Advocacy, Stephanie Shepard, who herself served time for a cannabis offense, penned a powerful op-ed in Virginia emphasizing the necessity of these reforms and the human toll of continued incarceration. Virginia ended cannabis prohibition in 2021, yet many remain incarcerated for offenses that are no longer crimes. The Virginia Department of Corrections reports an average annual cost of $33,994 per incarcerated individual, while Virginia has generated over $8 million in tax revenue from medical marijuana as of 2023. HB 2555 was a crucial step toward justice—one the Governor has now denied. The governor’s decision ignores the will of the people and the reality that cannabis reform is not only necessary but overwhelmingly popular. Polling shows that 84% of registered voters support releasing individuals incarcerated for offenses that are no longer illegal. With each veto, Youngkin chooses to leave families separated and lives needlessly disrupted, all while Virginia’s legal cannabis industry continues to grow and generate revenue. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the advocates and organizations who have fought tirelessly for justice, including Marijuana Justice Virginia, Nolef Turns, the Virginia NAACP, NORML, the Virginia Student Power Network, The New Majority Virginia, and Rise for Youth. While this veto is a setback, it is not the end. The fight for cannabis justice continues, and LPP remains committed to ensuring that no one is left behind. We will not stop until every cannabis prisoner is free.

LPP Welcomes Norm Reimer to our Board of Directors

By Stephen Post • March 20, 2025
As we reflect on our first five years of impact at the Last Prisoner Project, we are thrilled to share an exciting new development: Norman L. Reimer has joined our Board of Directors! Norm is a transformational leader in the fight for justice and he will play a key role in shaping our vision for reuniting families, rebuilding lives, and reimagining drug policy. Norm Reimer has devoted his career to the defense of the accused and reform of the justice system. As a criminal defense attorney, he has represented accused individuals at the trial and appellate level and in state and federal courts for four decades. As a reformer, he leads efforts to reform misguided policies and practices that fuel mass incarceration, overcriminalization, and disparate impact. Norman’s noteworthy achievements include co-founding the John Adams Project in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union to provide attorneys trained in capital defense to represent the accused in the military commission proceedings at Guantanamo Bay, and leading a collaboration among several groups during the Obama administration to establish Clemency Project 2014, a cadre of volunteer lawyers, which secured the commutation of long federal prison sentences for 894 individuals, including more than 300 who were serving life sentences. Norm is currently Of Counsel at Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C. , where he continues his criminal defense work. His previous positions include serving as Executive Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, CEO of Fair Trials, and President of the New York County Lawyers’ Association. He also served as an Adjunct Law Professor at New York Law School, where he taught trial practice. Norman earned his B.A. and J.D. from New York University.

LPP Calls on USSC to Enact Further Drug Sentencing Reform and Supervised Release Changes

By Stephen Post • March 11, 2025
The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) has submitted a formal comment to the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), advocating for critical changes to federal drug sentencing guidelines and supervised release policies. LPP’s recommendations aim to reduce overly punitive sentencing practices, promote rehabilitation, and improve public safety. Reforming Supervised Release LPP supports proposed amendments granting courts greater discretion in imposing and modifying supervised release. Overly rigid supervision can create unnecessary barriers to successful reintegration, increasing the likelihood of recidivism. Key recommendations include: Individualized assessments : Courts should tailor supervised release terms to the specific needs of each individual. Elimination of unnecessary supervision : LPP urges the removal of mandatory supervised release requirements when not explicitly required by statute. Early termination of supervision : Encouraging courts to assess whether continued supervision is necessary after one year, reducing unnecessary burdens on individuals and the justice system. Reducing Drug Sentences LPP also calls for major reforms to the Drug Quantity Table, advocating for reductions in base offense levels across all substances, with additional reductions for cannabis and psychedelics due to their increasing medical recognition and evolving legal status. Lowering the highest base offense level to 30 (or lower) : Research consistently shows long prison sentences do not improve public safety and can actually increase recidivism. Proportional reductions across all drug types : Harsh sentencing has not been an effective deterrent, and a more balanced approach is needed. Additional reductions for cannabis and psychedelics : Given their lower risk profiles and medical potential, sentences for these substances should be significantly reduced. Addressing Low-Level Drug Offenses LPP supports a six-level sentence reduction for individuals convicted of low-level trafficking roles. Many involved in minor drug-related offenses are individuals with limited economic opportunities, and excessive sentences do little to address the root causes of their involvement. Retroactive Application of Sentencing Reforms Currently, approximately 63,000 people are serving federal sentences for drug-related offenses, many under outdated guidelines. LPP urges the Commission to apply any sentencing reductions retroactively, allowing individuals already incarcerated to benefit from these long-overdue reforms. LPP commends the USSC for considering these reforms and urges them to take bold action. By implementing these changes, the Commission can help reduce mass incarceration, promote fairness, and allocate resources toward more effective public safety strategies.
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