LPP Policy Team at the National Cannabis Policy Summit
Gracie Burger • May 6, 2022
The LPP Policy Team had a blast at the National Cannabis Policy Summit that was held in Washington, DC on April 22, 2022! We got to connect with cannabis and criminal justice advocates, hear from experts across the cannabis reform space, and have exciting conversations about the road ahead. It’s always wonderful to see how LPP’s mission resonates with folks from every walk of life.
Our State Policy Director, Gracie Burger, took the stage to speak about the importance of:
- Efforts on cannabis justice reforms being bipartisan;
- Cannabis policy being data-driven; and
- Resentencing
being elevated as a critical component of legalization, in addition to record clearance.
This past Thanksgiving, Edwin Rubis shared his thoughts with us about spending another Thanksgiving behind prison walls, separated from his elderly mother, his sons, and his grandchildren:
Michael Masecchia spent decades shaping young lives as a beloved teacher and coach in Buffalo. Baseball, football, softball, and more, he dedicated himself to mentorship and community. But in 2019, his life was upended in an instant. A federal raid for cannabis, a swarm of law enforcement, and a harsh sentence threatened not just his freedom, but the very identity he had built. This is the story of how Michael survived the injustice, found purpose behind bars, and ultimately returned home, a story of resilience, redemption, and the transformative power of advocacy.
Featuring Carmelo Anthony, Omari Hardwick, Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, and other cultural icons, the NYC event united artists, advocates, and changemakers to advance cannabis justice.
