Ben & Jerry's Says Marijuana Legalization Without Justice Is Half-Baked, Pushes For Record Clearing In Arizona

The ice cream giant with 46 years of tradition is speaking out for cannabis justice once again.

For this year's 4/20 cannabis holiday, Ben & Jerry's is working with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and AZ Justice Project to spread one message: Legalization without justice is half-baked. Ben and Jerry’s is supporting the ACLU's call for state governors across the country to grant sentence reductions or pardons, legally known as clemency, to people serving cannabis-related sentences. Even in states like Arizona, which legalized cannabis and voted for expungement in 2020, there are still at least 200,000 people with cannabis convictions on their records.

"It's not enough to decarcerate people convicted for cannabis-related offenses. To truly achieve cannabis justice, we also have to do what's necessary to ensure people are no longer haunted by these convictions," stated Palika Makam, Ben & Jerry's U.S. Activism Manager. "Countless people are still incarcerated and continue to be burdened by convictions for cannabis-related offenses even in states where cannabis is legal."

Previous Efforts

This is not the first time Ben & Jerry's has called for cannabis justice. In 2022, in a joint effort with the ACLU, it demanded the Senate pass cannabis justice legislation. Last year, Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen launched a non-profit cannabis line, Ben’s Best Blnz or B3, to help right the wrong of the War on Drugs, with 100% of the profits benefiting minority-owned cannabis operations. 

See Also: This 4/20, Ben & Jerry’s Urges Michigan’s Gov. Whitmer To Grant Clemency For Cannabis Convictions

Criminal records block access to jobs, housing, education, economic opportunity and civic participation in communities. That's why Ben & Jerry's is partnering with AZ Justice Project to compel elected prosecutors in Arizona to actualize conviction expungement. The organization uses a two-pronged approach providing outreach and free legal assistance.

"As public servants who wield great power, prosecutors are in a better position to help more people reach expungement," Martin L. Hutchins Jr. AZ Justice Project's Marijuana Expungement Program manager said in a statement. "They have the ability to file a petition without input from the person who has the record. Prosecutors also have greater access to case records and other agencies keeping relevant records like the Department of Public Safety. Expungement gives prosecutors the opportunity to use their power to correct past injustices, rather than solely charging crimes and locking people up."

Ben & Jerry's says letters of engagement work. Thanks to tens of thousands sent to lawmakers over the past five years, progress was made in states like Oregon, where convictions were expunged and millions of fines forgiven nationally when President Biden restored the rights of thousands of people with cannabis convictions.

Those individuals who would like to support the cause, use the autofill letter template to governors.

See Also: Biden’s Recent Cannabis Pardons Don’t Apply To Military Members But There’s A Comforting Prospect

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Hybrid Storytellers on Unsplash and WindNight via Shutterstock