Mission Green Petitions President To Release Parker Coleman Who Is Serving 60 Years For Marijuana

Mission Green, an initiative of the Weldon Project, filed a clemency petition for Parker Coleman, Jr., who is currently serving a 60-year federal sentence for marijuana-related offenses. This filing along with several other petitions comes on the heels of President Biden's historic mass pardon of anyone previously convicted on a federal charge of simple possession of marijuana.

Supported by Glass House Brands GLASF GHBWF, Mission Green is working with the Academy for Justice to submit clemency petitions with the hope that the President will follow through on his promise to release those convicted of non-violent marijuana offenses.

"Parker Coleman, a young African-American man, is currently serving a 60-year federal prison sentence for non-violent marijuana distribution—that is, de facto life imprisonment of a person of color for conduct now authorized under state laws across the nation and openly pursued as a business by the multi-billion dollar cannabis industry. Mr. Coleman's sentence is not only a troubling example of racial and class disparities in federal drug enforcement, it's excessive compared to the terms imposed in related cases or that would be imposed in state court today. His effective life sentence is also inconsistent with recent reforms in law and policy, as well as a sea change in public opinion, all of which point away from incarcerating people like Mr. Coleman for non-violent drug offenses and toward a non-punitive approach to marijuana. Despite the injustice of his sentence, Mr. Coleman has worked hard on rehabilitation and self-improvement. His successful record while incarcerated, along with a strong support network of family and friends, make Mr. Coleman an ideal candidate for clemency relief from an excessive and unjust sentence."

The document was drafted by Erik Luna, the Amelia D. Lewis Professor of constitutional & criminal law and the founder of the Academy for Justice, a criminal justice reform program within the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Kyle Kazan, chairman and CEO of Glass House Brands, stated, "While Glass House has had revenues well in excess of $100 million for cultivation, transportation and sales of marijuana while nobody in the company has served a day in jail for it, the juxtaposition between the legal business and prisoners like Parker Coleman is jarring. It is a moral imperative for me to dedicate my time and resources to redress the absurd incongruities existing today at the twilight of marijuana prohibition."

Mission Green, the Academy for Justice, and Glass House Brands expect to work together until all people serving federal sentences for non-violent marijuana offenses are granted clemency.

Photo: Benzinga; Sources: courtesy of Matthias Zomer via Pexels, squarefrog via Pixabay

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