The Last Prisoner Project

The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to be a voice for the defenseless. It is comprised of a majority of black and brown faces—a team of “cannabis industry leaders, criminal and social justice advocates, policy and education experts, and leaders in social justice and drug policy reform” who are “committed to freeing every last prisoner of the unjust war on drugs, starting with 40,000 people in prison for cannabis offenses legal in most states,” according to its official website.

The LPP’s mission is to utilize a three-pronged approach to securing full freedom for the communities it serves, including through intervention, awareness campaigns, and advocacy. LPP has a vision and belief that if anyone is able to profit and build wealth in the legal cannabis industry, those individuals must also work to release and rebuild the lives of those who have suffered from cannabis criminalization.

This organization combats the ongoing War on Drugs that continues to impact communities of color. The LPP also offers various robust programs, including:

• Release and record relief – this releases prisoners who are wrongly sentenced and removes the cannabis-related charges from their records.
• Reentry programming – through special workshops, people can obtain employment opportunities and exercise their talents and skillsets for a better future. Mentorships and accountability partners are provided through this program to ensure success.
• Scholarship program – whether a youth is incarcerated or the parent is imprisoned, a portion of profits from LPP goes to funding educational resources and other efforts.

Some of its partners include: Partner for Freedom, Roll It Up for Justice, and the Budtender Program. The organization is actively looking for more partners and ways to de-incarcerate all of the constituents affected by wrongful imprisonment.

Evelyn LaChappelle, an LPP advisor, has become one of its most famous faces, after she served five years in prison for allowing a friend to deposit cannabis-related profits into her bank account. Like Evelyn, the program has positively impacted many people in similar situations. To find out how to contribute to the mission or partner with LPP, visit www.lastprisonerproject.org.

-Olivia Shaw-Reel