Advocacy Review Says Justice Still Denied to People with Old Cannabis Convictions

While legal cannabis sales are booming across the country, a new review by the Last Prisoner Project reveals a "hidden crisis": criminal justice reform is stalling. In 2025, over a dozen state-level bills aimed at expunging records or releasing prisoners died quietly. States like Florida, Missouri, and New York saw reform efforts fall short, while Virginia’s governor recently vetoed a key resentencing measure. It isn't all bad news, though; Maryland and Hawaii emerged as "bright spots," passing landmark legislation to automate record relief and speed up expungements.

For everyday tokers, this is a sobering reminder that "legalization" doesn't automatically mean "justice." It’s a bit hypocritical to have high-end dispensaries on every corner while thousands of our community members still carry the weight of old convictions for the exact same plant. Supporting organizations like LPP is crucial because true progress in cannabis culture requires looking out for those the Drug War left behind. Achieving full equity means ensuring that no one remains behind bars or held back by paperwork in a legal era.