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Washington D.C., January 18th – Although 24 states and D.C. have legalized adult-use cannabis sales and the vast majority of the U.S. population now lives in states with some form of legal cannabis, tens of thousands of people remain in state and federal prison. It is imperative that as the federal government seeks to downgrade cannabis’s status from a Schedule I drug, advocates are pushing for the full legalization of cannabis, complete with effective strategies for retroactive relief.
On April 18th, 2024, Last Prisoner Project (LPP) will be mobilizing the largest bi-partisan coalition of cannabis advocacy, industry, and grassroots organizations in the U.S. to convene in Washington D.C. for a 420 Unity Day of Action to put public pressure on Congress and the President to take action on the full descheduling of cannabis and the necessary retroactive relief measures.
The broad array of advocate groups spans across political boundaries and includes members of the Marijuana Justice Coalition (MJC) like DPA, SSDP, NORML, Veterans Cannabis Coalition, Parabola Center; mem-
bers of the Cannabis Freedom Alliance (CFA) Reason Foundation, and Law Enforcement Action Partnership; and industry groups like National Cannabis Festival, National Craft Cannabis Coalition, National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA), Asian Cannabis Roundtable, and National Association of Black Cannabis Lawyers (NABCL).
In addition to mobilizing this day of action, Last Prisoner Project released a memo outlining how cannabis justice advocates can leverage the impending historic change in schedule for cannabis 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.
“We need an all hands on deck approach to ending the unjust war on our community,
which means leveraging incremental wins as we build toward bigger, bolder reforms.” Said Sarah Gersten, LPP Executive Director and author of the memo. “While rescheduling alone will not offer retroactive relief, it would be a historic shift in policy, and we must be ready to push open the door of reform when it happens. We have outlined several ways the administration can achieve real relief and add substance to the President’s mostly symbolic reforms so far.”
“We are thrilled to participate in this day of action to underscore the urgency of marijuana justice. We call on Congress to pass comprehensive marijuana reform legislation that deschedules marijuana and provides an equitable framework for marijuana regulation. At this critical juncture for federal marijuana reform, our communities will not be sidelined,” said Maritza Perez Medina, Director of Federal Affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance,
icy Center . “For us, this day of action is a demonstration that we will continue together to pay attention to the details, change laws, and hold those in power accountable -- and won’t cede our hardearned power to corporations and lobbyists.”
“As craft cannabis producers, we know that only the full federal legalization of cannabis will provide a level playing field for small and local businesses,” said Ross Gordon with the National Craft Cannabis Coalition . “Moving past prohibition-era stigma means treating small cannabis farmers as farmers just like any other form of American agriculture, and comprehensively recognizing and addressing the discrimination and prejudice underlying the ongoing failed War on Drugs.”
“It is well past time that cannabis was removed from the Controlled Substances Act scheduling entirely and
treated more like other substances that most Americans can utilize responsibly without fear of legal penalties, discrimination, or loss of civil liberties.” said Morgan Fox, NORML Political Director . “While moving cannabis out of Schedule 1 is symbolically important, anything short of descheduling merely perpetuates the conflict between state and federal laws, continues to punish individual consumers and patients, and does nothing to facilitate the study or regulation of cannabis in a fashion that reflects the will of the supermajority of Americans who want to end federal prohibition.”
“Neither rescheduling nor descheduling alone would address the prior decades of unjust arrests, convictions, and criminal sentences for cannabis-related offenses. Retroactive relief is a critical detail as simply ending future arrests does not bring justice to the millions of
individuals harmed by decades of past prohibition.” Said Stephanie Shephard, Board Chairwoman of the Last Prisoner Project . “We need full legalization with comprehensive retroactive relief and nothing less than the end to anyone being incarcerated for cannabis crimes.”
Learn more, sign-up, and stay updated by visiting our event webpage here.
Last Prisoner Project is dedicated to freeing those incarcerated due to the War on Drugs, reuniting their families, and helping them rebuild their lives. As laws change, there remains a fundamental injustice for individuals whose conviction is no longer a crime. We work to repair these harms through legal intervention, constituent support, direct advocacy, and policy change.
Visit www.lastprisonerproject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to learn more.
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