RESEARCH & EDUCATION

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.

Thanks to shoddy criminal justice data infrastructure, it's a difficult question to answer. That said, we can make an educated guess. 

Racism, xenophobia and one man’s all-consuming hatred of jazz kicked off the criminalization of cannabis; America’s illegal, “essential” plant...

Like many of his predecessors, the president is using drug war rhetoric to draw attention away from a domestic crisis... 

There's been virtually no discussion around one of the biggest drivers of over-policing and racial injustice in America...

Even amid the pandemic, politicians are pushing back on calls to decarcerate our country’s correctional facilities. 'Cannabis clemency' could be a way to get officials on board...

For most of NYC's 1.1-million marijuana enthusiasts, Wednesday evening was one like any other. For Gayle, it was the night smoking a joint almost got him killed...

There's something quite perverse about a government that considers marijuana sales an essential service even as it continues to lock people up on cannabis charges...

One day. Two cases of weed-related overreach. All this, despite the fact that New York decriminalized marijuana possession last year...

Governor Cuomo's rollout of a reworked Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act means this may finally be the year New Yorkers get access to legal weed... 

LPP hopes to ensure that HB 639 includes a state-initiated record clearance process for cannabis records and guarantees the reconsideration of cannabis-related sentences in light of prohibition’s repeal.

LPP showed our support during the hearings while also calling for the inclusion of an equally as effective state-initiated resentencing process to be incorporated within the bill so that every person who has been harmed by cannabis criminalization is guaranteed relief.

We suggested that SB 88 offer a broader eligibility scheme that goes beyond possession, ensures no waiting period, and enacts more rigorous oversight requirements. 

While Last Prisoner Project is excited that the state is contemplating legalization, we urged the legislature to further prioritize criminal justice provisions in these bills. 

Last Prisoner Project was thrilled to see that the legalization bill contemplates mechanisms for state-initiated record clearance and resentencing, but nonetheless identified areas in which the bills could be improved to ensure they provide adequate relief.

We filed an amicus brief in the case of US v. Scarmazzo, urging the court to grant Scarmazzo compassionate release after he was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for operating a medical cannabis dispensary....

Written testimony presented before the Connecticut Joint Committee on Judiciary in support of Senate Bill 16 which would legalize and regulate cannabis for adult use and provides for a process for the automatic erasure of past cannabis offenses...

Written testimony presented before the Connecticut Joint Committee on Judiciary in support of Senate Bill 16 which would legalize and regulate cannabis for adult use and provides for a process for the automatic erasure of past cannabis offenses...

The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to amend its regulations to comply with the requirements of the Controlled Substances Act... 

We asked the New York State Senate’s Manhattan delegation to include more robust social equity initiatives in the CRTA...

In a move that's excited activists, lawmakers and industry leaders.Governor Cuomo recently unveiled a plan to legalize marijuana in New York...

Written testimony presented before the Connecticut Committee on Labor and Public Employees in support of An Act Concerning Labor Peace Agreements and a Modern and Equitable Cannabis Workforce.