Last Prisoner Project

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

We are honored to have been named to the Clean Slate Task Force in Hawai’i, which will work to implement the first-ever state-initiated record clearance program in the state’s history. Thousands of Hawai’i residents carry a criminal record for cannabis possession even though they are eligible to have it expunged. We hope that this bill will serve as a foundation for broader record relief moving forward. Thank you to Rep. David Tarnas and all the representatives and partner organizations who helped make this possible. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eD_rG7XG

Chance and injustice brought Donte West and Kyle Page together. Both incarcerated for victimless cannabis-related offenses in Kansas, Donte made it his mission to not only free himself—but bring Kyle home as well. Now, they’re working together at Last Prisoner Project to free Antonio Wyatt, Deshaun Durham, and all those still behind bars for victimless cannabis offenses in Kansas and beyond. #FreeAllCannabisPrisoners #FreeAntonioWyatt #FreeDeshaunDurham https://lnkd.in/eHMP5izs

After completing a 10-year sentence for cannabis in 2019, LPP’s Director of Advocacy Stephanie Shepard was still not free. She’d spend the next 5 years on probation, having her every move supervised and monitored. But on June 4, 2024, her probation period finally ended and she knew exactly how she planned to spend her “Freedom Day” — making her first legal cannabis purchase. “As I reclaim my freedom and embrace this new chapter in my life, I realize that I am not defined by my years in prison but by the resilience, perseverance, and unwavering belief that we are headed in the direction to right the wrongs done by cannabis prohibition and I am finally free to fully engage.” Read Stephanie’s full story on our blog: https://lnkd.in/eDVuZ9Wu

Thank you to Josh Kesselman of RAW for helping us change lives and #FreeAllCannabisPrisoners! 💚🙏