A new campaign, “Justice For All,” has been launched to pressure President Joe Biden on the issue of federal cannabis clemency by CBD and personal wellness brand House of Wise and Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing criminal justice reform for the cannabis community.
In honor of 420 – a holiday celebrated on April 20th that has long stood for community among cannabis and hemp users – and in recognition of the work still required to change policy and remove stigmas for cannabis and hemp users, House of Wise and Last Prisoner Project are working together to promote a petition urging the Biden Administration to create a Presidential Cannabis Clemency Board.
This board would be tasked with expediting the review and processing of clemency petitions from individuals with federal cannabis-related convictions. The campaign aims to secure 100,000 unique signatures to urge President Biden to deliver bold action and immediate relief for thousands of Americans.
Following U.S. House of Representatives approval (220-204) on Friday, April 1, 2022 in favor of H.R. 3617: The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2021, now more than ever it is imperative to continue pushing for policies that support criminal justice reform.
If H.R. 3617 is signed into law, marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols will be removed from the federal list of Controlled Substances, and with that, many of the federal criminal penalties associated with cannabis cultivation, distribution, and possession will also be removed. Additionally, certain federal cannabis-related convictions and/or adjudication of juvenile delinquency could be expunged.
H.R. 3617 does not mention the violations in the Federal penal code that would be considered “nonviolent Federal cannabis offenses” for the purposes of expungement and/or resentencing process. The Act also disqualifies otherwise eligible individuals who received an aggravating role adjustment at sentencing in relation to a Federal cannabis offense from having their records expunged. Additionally, for automatic expungement to occur in an expeditious fashion, exact offense codes would need to be determined rather than needing to make eligibility determinations on a case by case basis. H.R. 3617 will soon be voted on by the Senate and need 60 votes to pass and move forward in the legislative process.
The effects of our country’s decades-long war on marijuana will reverberate for years to come, especially in communities of color, which has been disproportionately affected by arrests and incarcerations. There is still much work to be done when it comes to cannabis and criminal justice reform. House and Wise and Last Prisoner Project are focused on bringing awareness to and amplification of the existing petition for a Presidential Cannabis Clemency Board, which would provide more impactful relief for cannabis convictions, helping thousands of present and former incarcerates secure their freedoms and provide legal relief to those still suffering the burden of collateral consequences following conviction.
Using their respective platforms to encourage advocacy and deliver accurate information, House of Wise and Last Prisoner Project will continue their work to dismantle stigmas around cannabis, raise awareness and funds to fuel real change, and offer wellness solutions for our communities.
Inspired by the countless number of families suffering devastating emotional, physical, mental, and economic repercussions stemming from cannabis criminalization, the Justice For All Campaign is driving change by calling for 100,000 signatures for the Cannabis Clemency Petition. They also want to share ongoing educational content around cannabis policy, how to get involved, and the stories of real people impacted by cannabis convictions through the company’s Wise Reads.
Last Prisoner Project constituents and House of Wise creative partners Sean and Eboni Worsley are using their story and voice to share firsthand how unjust cannabis convictions have deep ripple effects on families. The Worsleys’ story is a harrowing illustration of how the criminal sentence doesn’t truly end after leaving prison, and why cannabis clemency is vital in criminal justice reform. Their story inspired the designs behind the upcoming Justice For All Limited-Edition CBD Sampler Box product release and NFT.
In 2016, Iraq War veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and legal card-carrying medical marijuana user Sean Worsley and his wife, Eboni Worsley, were arrested in the state of Alabama with the charge of Class C felony for possession of marijuana, despite his state-granted rights from Arizona to be in possession of marijuana. Follow along with House of Wise as it continues to share more about the Worsleys’ story, how their experience has continued to have negative repercussions on their lives since the conviction, and how they’re rebuilding and looking ahead to a brighter future for all in the cannabis community.
“The direct harms and collateral consequences of a cannabis conviction send ripple effects of trauma throughout each family that is negatively impacted. Those families deserve support, community, and the comfort of knowing that there are folks out there fighting for their loved one’s freedom,” said Mary Bailey, Managing Director of Last Prisoner Project. “It is with the support of partners like House of Wise that we are able to keep pushing for the full freedom of our constituents and provide financial assistance to their families through our reentry resources.”
Since day one, House of Wise has been committed to an ongoing partnership with Last Prisoner Project. House of Wise was built on the premise of empowering women, helping them take charge of their lives and their routines with the help of originally formulated CBD products. In 2022, it remains a privilege to create, sell, and share House of Wise’s high-quality collection of hemp-derived CBD products legally, and it is the moral obligation of the company to help combat cannabis-related incarcerations.
“It’s 2022, and when you have cannabis dispensaries that look like premium retail shops popping up across the country, while thousands of people still remain behind bars for selling or using the same products sold in these shops, it’s time for a bigger push for change, and fast,” said Amanda Goetz, Founder & CEO of House of Wise. “We believe it is critical for us to collaborate with Last Prisoner Project and their community of constituents to share their stories and support the work they’re doing to ultimately grant freedom and destigmatize cannabis convictions for thousands of vibrant people whose lives and well-being matter.”
“420 is both a day to celebrate communities of cannabis users, and, more importantly, an opportunity for those same communities to call for action from political leadership to change policy and grant freedoms,” Goetz continued. “This petition is a first step toward granting freedom for more people.”
More than 10,000 have already signed the petition.
