Last Prisoner Project Mobilizes Largest Coalition of Bipartisan Cannabis Advocates to Washington, DC during Cannabis Summit

Congressional Leaders, Grassroots Organizations & Cannabis Industry Activists Call for Decriminalization during




420 Unity Day of Action

Multi-Day Activism Concludes with Moving White House Candlelight Vigil Honoring Those Still Incarcerated and their Families

PRESS HERE




to Download Photos + Videos from the Week’s Events

Photo Credit: Ben Droz

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Over the past several days,



Last Prisoner Project (LPP)



has been mobilizing the largest coalition of bipartisan cannabis advocacy, industry, and grassroots organizations, as well as individual activists to convene in

Washington D.C.

for a



420 Unity Day of Action



. A number of lobbying events applied public pressure on Congress and President Biden, encouraging them to take action to fully legalize cannabis, free those still in prison and clear cannabis-related convictions.

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 and millions still suffer the collateral consequences of a criminal record for the same activity others now profit from.

Advocates were joined by several elected officials who have been leading the fight for cannabis reform including

Sen. Ron Wyden

(D-Oregon),

Rep. Earl Blumenauer

(D-Oregon),

Rep. Ayanna Pressley

(D-Massachusetts) who spoke during Wednesday’s press conference in front of the

U.S. Capitol,

and the next day

Rep. Ilhan Omar

(D-Minnesota) spoke to advocates at the

Capitol Visitor Center

before

Lobby Day

meetings with elected officials from both parties including

Sen. Cory Booker

(D-New Jersey),

Sen. Chuck Schumer

(D-New York),

Sen. Kirsten Sinema

(D-Arizona),

Sen. John Fetterman

(D-Pennsylvania),

Sen. Bill Cassiday

(R-Louisiana),

Sen. Mark Warner

(D-Virginia), and others to call for the full legalization of cannabis, the removal of criminal penalties and retroactive relief. Specifically, advocates called on lawmakers to co-sponsor one of the three pieces of legislation which would federally legalize cannabis, the



MORE Act



,



States Rights Act



, and the soon to be re-introduced



CAOA



, as well as the



HOPE Act



, which was introduced in the Senate on Thursday and would provide funding for state-level expungement programs.

Capping off 48 hours of lobbying and activism, formerly incarcerated LPP constituents



Bryan Reid




,




Kyle Page




,




Donte West



and



Andy Cox




,

and families of those still incarcerated including



Mitzi Wall



and



Alicia Deals




,

were joined by hundreds of advocates for a

candlelight vigil


in front of the White House

to honor all those harmed by cannabis criminalization.

Throughout the week, directly-impacted advocates were joined by celebrity voices including

Rosario Dawson, M-1 of Dead Prez,

and

JoJo Simmons

who used their platforms to spread the calls to decriminalize far beyond the capital. This advocacy work to broaden the movement and get people engaged on these issues will continue throughout the weekend as the 4/20 Unity events culminate with the



National Cannabis Festival



taking place today and tomorrow (April 19-20) at

RFK Campus Festival Grounds

which includes educational panels and a fireside chat with

Last Prisoner Project Board Member


M-1

. The weekend will conclude with a concert headlined by

Thundercat

and

Wu-Tang Clan

with

Last Prisoner Project Ambassador Redman

.

To join the fight for cannabis justice,

contact your elected officials

by



sending them a letter



and



calling their offices




urging them to decriminalize cannabis now.

Photo Credit: Ben Droz

The bipartisan advocacy groups that joined LPP this week included:

ABOUT LAST PRISONER PROJECT




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.

Follow Last Prisoner Project:





Instagram




|




LinkedIn




|




X/Twitter




|




Facebook

For Media Inquiries:



Linda Carbone & Katie Leggett


PRESS HERE



linda@presshereproductions.com


|


katie@pressherepublicity.com

Stephen Post


Last Prisoner Project’s Strategic Communications Manager



stephen@lastprsionerproject.org


|


press@lastprisonerproject.org

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a044c02a-a96c-4ce1-befb-c97254b2014d







https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1ca824d5-7a16-4c17-a9a9-20a060beffce







https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fd1f6eff-924b-472d-9e04-bf87d53f9666