Meet The Longest Serving Non-Violent Cannabis Offender In Michigan's History, New Doc Streaming Soon

From its inception, the U.S. drug war ruined many lives. Its racist over-policing, mass incarceration and punitive sentencing left families, individuals and communities destroyed.

A stark example is Michael Thompson who spent over two decades in prison for cannabis. Thompson, who never committed a violent crime, was convicted of selling three pounds of marijuana to a close friend turned police informant.

Ultimately, Thompson became the longest-serving non-violent offender in Michigan's history. In 2020, he was released from prison after 25 years when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer granted him clemency.

Now, MSNBC has teamed up with a video-on-demand platform, Documentary+ to tell Thompson's story, reported Detroit Metro Times.

The new film, The Sentence of Michael Thompson, is scheduled to debut on MSNBC at 10 p.m. on Oct. 30 and available to stream on Documentary+ as of Nov. 1. It features interviews with Thompson's attorneys and family members.

Produced by Kyle Thrash and W. Ian Ross and co-directed by Haley Elizabeth Anderson and Thrash, the doc is being presented by MSNBC Films and XTR along with Synonymous Pictures.

More Film Credits: The documentary was executive produced for MSNBC Films by MSNBC president Rashida Jones, VP Amanda Spain and co-produced by Bryn Mooser, Kathryn Everett, Justin Lacob, Lydia Kives for XTR, and William Crause.

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