Michigan's White Boy Rick Launches Cannabis Brand "The 8th" Named For Amendment Banning Cruel And Unusual Punishment

On Thursday, Rick Wershe Jr. aka "White Boy Rick" announced the release of his cannabis brand, "The 8th," in partnership with Pleasantrees Cannabis Company, a vertically-integrated, multi-state cannabis company.

The name refers to the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibiting "cruel and unusual punishment," something Rick was subjected to when he spent 33 years in prison for cocaine possession after being used by the FBI as an informant since he was 14. 

Initial brand offerings will be exclusively available for in-store purchase at Pleasantrees' retail locations with select third-party retail locations to follow. At launch, the brand will feature pure and premium flower and branded clothing.

Social Justice Goals

Wershe and Pleasantrees will dedicate a substantial portion of sales proceeds toward the release of wrongfully or excessively imprisoned drug offenders. Wershe will work closely with Pleasantrees' director of social equity, Jerome Crawford.

The brand's slogan, "Time is Money," acknowledges the immense damages owed to people who lose years of their lives and futures after long incarceration for often non-violent drug convictions. Wershe recently sued the City of Detroit for $100M for its alleged involvement with his conviction and excessive incarceration as a minor.

About White Boy Rick

At the age of 17, Wershe was sentenced to federal prison for cocaine possession after the FBI used him as an informant for several years. He was released in July 2020 for good behavior after serving 33 years under Michigan's draconian 650-Lifer Law.

Wershe's story, the subject of several films and documentaries, is a prime example of the overly harsh penalties levied against victims of the decades-long "War on Drugs" started by the Nixon Administration, further escalated in the Reagan Era and the dregs of which continue today.

In August, White Boy Rick announced his entrance into cannabis space with “The 8th."

“I had run into people in prison that were doing life sentences for marijuana, and now it’s legal,” Wershe said at the time. “So doesn’t that tell you how crazy our drug laws are?”

Photo: Courtesy of Rick Wershe Jr. aka “White Boy Rick”