Aug. 2020 — Alaska Leaf

Page 28

THE EQUALITY ISSUE

LAST PRISONER PROJECT

The Last Prisoner Project won’t stop until every Cannabis ‘criminal’ is free.

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THE LAST PRISONER. The phrase carries its own gravitational pull. The weight, the importance, the finality of the word ‘last’ - a terminal statement that means ‘beyond this point, there will be no more.’ Here in the world’s most profusely incarcerated nation - where prison is a multi-billion-dollar, profitable industry that people actually buy stock in - the idea of a ‘last’ prisoner seems unattainable. But that’s exactly what Last Prisoner Project strives to achieve. Thousands upon thousands of nonviolent Cannabis offenders languish in cell block purgatory for committing acts now deemed not only legal, but necessary in many states - and the LPP refuses to rest until the last of those prisoners walks free. Founded in 2019 by legendary Cannabis activist Steve DeAngelo, LPP seeks not mere clemency and commutation, but the eradication of all non-violent Cannabis convictions past, present and future. It’s a battle that’s been fought in the street and on protest frontlines for decades, and now that Cannabis is available for legal curbside pickup in large swaths of the nation, the LPP hopes to bring another level of organization to the movement - employing political intervention and advocacy, celebrity awareness campaigns and industry-driven financial firepower in the fight.

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C A S U A LT I E S I N A N U N J U S T W A R

A AUG, 2020

ccording to a comprehensive incarceration study conducted by the ACLU in 2010 (and updated in 2018), Cannabis offenses account for more than half of all drug arrests in the United States. And those arrests disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities. Last Prisoner Project actively advocates for dozens of prisoners currently behind

“AS THE SAYING GOES: WHEN THE DISPENSARY LOOKS LIKE AN APPLE STORE, IT’S TIME TO RELEASE A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM PRISON.”


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