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By: J. D. Lauritzen
Every year on 4/20, WholesomeCo partners with one or more non-profit organizations to give back. This year we chose to partner with 40 Tons, a social impact brand focused on bringing more diversity and inclusion of BIPOC communities into the cannabis space and providing second chances to those with past cannabis convictions. 40 Tons was born out of several miscarriages of justice, including the devastation caused by a life sentence given to one of the brand’s leaders, Corvain Cooper. While Corvain was ultimately released in 2021, there are still thousands of prisoners serving time for nonviolent cannabis crimes. 40 Tons has made it their mission to support the release of those still behind bars for cannabis.
Corvain, like so many others, received a harsh sentence under the now widely-criticized 1994 federal crime bill. Due to two previous nonviolent convictions (which were both later vacated), Corvain was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his cannabis conviction under the three-strikes portion of the crime bill. Similar to Corvain, Kevin Allen, was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison over just $20 worth of cannabis. As if that was not bad enough, prosecutors sought to enhance Kevin’s punishment under Louisiana’s habitual offender statutes. Due to multiple past drug-related convictions, Kevin’s sentence was increased to life imprisonment without the chance of parole, probation, or sentence suspension.
Others like Pedro Moreno and Rafael Hernandez-Carillo are also serving life sentences for nonviolent cannabis offenses. In the case of Pedro Moreno, he remains incarcerated despite the fact that four of his brothers who were all convicted on the same charges have been released. For Rafael, the story is much the same. He remains incarcerated for life for cannabis even though he has been a model prisoner, completing more than 47 educational and therapeutic programs in an effort to better himself and support other inmates.
Beyond those serving life for cannabis, others like Parker Coleman are serving 60 years for a nonviolent, no guns cannabis offense. Akin to Parker, Edwin Rubis was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his alleged role in a nonviolent cannabis conspiracy. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement found no guns, money, or drugs. Nevertheless, Edwin was charged and later convicted based on statements from those Edwin owed some money to.
Mohamed Taher and Daniel Muessig are also serving lengthy sentences for cannabis. Mohamed is seven years into a 25-year sentence for cannabis even though he was operating in states where it is either legal or decriminalized. Daniel Muessig was not indicted until almost two years after his last alleged criminal conduct, and while he ultimately received a lesser sentence in exchange for his guilty plea, he was facing the possibility of a decades long prison sentence for his cannabis offense. As a former criminal defense attorney, it seems like Daniel may have been targeted due to a commercial he made back in 2014 that ruffled the feathers of local prosecutors.
Each of the above stories reflect the continued miscarriage of justice around the country when it comes to cannabis crimes. It makes little to no sense to continue caging people for something that the majority of the country now recognizes as legal for medicinal or adult uses. As someone has said, “When the dispensary looks and operates like an Apple Store it’s time to release a lot of incarcerated human beings.”
To support 40 Tons and bring better awareness to the continued incarceration of thousands of cannabis prisoners across the country, WholesomeCo put on a letter writing campaign to write letters to the nonviolent cannabis offenders described above. Over two days, WholesomeCo collected over 200 postcards. Whether written by our employees, patients, or others showing their support for those still locked up for cannabis crimes, the messages were incredibly heartfelt and sincere. This outpouring of love and support was truly incredible to witness, leaving those of us involved with the letter writing campaign emotional and full of gratitude. We at WholesomeCo were so grateful to be able to carry 40 Tons’ message, while also bringing better awareness to each of the prisoners’ stories.
The letters will be sent directly to the prisoners over the course of the next few weeks. We hope that the prisoners will appreciate the words of encouragement, and that they will find some strength in what was written. We plan to continue hosting letter writing events in the future with 40 Tons. If you would like to write a letter to a prisoner, please ask our staff how you can do so. Also, please consider getting more involved with 40 Tons directly. Learn how at www.40tons.co.