Saving Cannabis Prisoners From 100+ Years Behind Bars: Dutchie And Last Prisoner Project Hit $2M Fundraising Goal

Cannabis tech platform Dutchie and Last Prisoner Project (LPP) announced Tuesday that they’d reached their goal of $2 million in donations.

Dutchie has been coordinating donations to LPP from dispensary partners and cannabis consumers over the past two years, putting a call to action on all of their receipts and matching $1 million in donations.

Dutchie also included coordination and support across several of LPP's efforts such as expungement of criminal records, re-entry support, criminal justice public policy reform, industry event coordination and technological avenues to exponentially increase charitable contributions.

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As a nonprofit dedicated to undoing the harms of the failed war on drugs, LPP previously launched a campaign to free Kevin Allen who has been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole in Louisiana after being convicted for selling $20 worth of cannabis. That campaign, and other similar efforts, received a significant boost in 2022 after LPP announced a partnership with Dutchie.

Read Also: Meet The Man Who Did Prison Time For Non-Violent Cannabis Offense And Now Advocates For Others In The Same Situation

While Allen was once again been let down by the judicial system earlier this year when he was resentenced to 35 years of hard labor, Dutchie and LPP have helped many others who needed legal guidance.

Here's Where The Funds Went

The funds raised and donations matched from Dutchie's ecosystem of dispensary partners have contributed to the arrangement of pro-bono legal representation through LPP's Cannabis Justice Initiative with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, which has spared constituents more than 100 years of prison time, including four individuals serving life sentences. 

“Dutchie is committed to acknowledging and undoing the harms done by cannabis prohibition and we're thrilled to reach our fundraising goal for Last Prisoner Project,” Tim Barash, CEO of Dutchie, said. “We cannot erase past injustices that people and communities have experienced as a result of decades of failed cannabis policy, but we can work to support those who have been harmed.

The donations also supported the creation of the State of Cannabis Justice Report, which tracks the progress individual states need to make in repairing the harm done by prohibition and the War on Drugs, along with the Pardons to Progress and Pen to Right History campaigns, which has organized writing over 11,000 letters to governors and the president urging them the take greater clemency action.

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