Last Prisoner Project (LPP), the national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis criminal justice reform, has launched the Pardons to Progress campaign to urge United States governors to issue clemency grants to those incarcerated on state-level marijuana charges. 

In October 2022, President Biden wielded his clemency power to pardon over 6,500 people convicted of federal marijuana possession offenses. He also called on the governors of the United States to take similar action on the state level, where the vast majority of cannabis-related convictions take place. 

“I am urging all Governors to do the same with regard to state offenses.  Just as no one should be in a Federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.” - President Biden, October 2022

Not only have millions of people been arrested and imprisoned for an activity many states are now actively profiting from, but the consequences of those convictions follow people long after they’ve completed their sentence. A cannabis offense on your record imposes unnecessary barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. In addition, even though rates of marijuana use are virtually identical across racial groups, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates. 

It’s imperative that executives across the country heed President Biden’s call, Last Prisoner Project’s Pardons to Progress campaign will help equip the public, as well as gubernatorial offices, with the tools needed to make mass, state-level cannabis pardons a reality. 

To learn more about the initiative and write a letter to your governor, please visit www.pardonstoprogress.com.