Master P sets May 20th as “Cannabis Free Day” to protest the ban on pots

Rapper and entrepreneur Master P is pushing for May 20th or 20th to become a new cannabis holiday. But unlike the global 4/20 party, 5/20 isn’t just a festival. It’s also a march to protest the cannabis ban and the prison state while raising awareness of activism for social justice.

Master P, whose legal name is Percy Miller, has teamed up with former cannabis convict Fate Winslow to launch the 5/20 “Cannabis Freedom Day” campaign. However, the 5/20 movement has received a new urgency after Winslow’s death last week.

Winslow “had been in jail since 2008 for carrying a $ 20 bag of weed. He just got out in December and was killed the other day, ”Master P told All Hip Hop. “I want to raise awareness and help prisoners when they get out. There are so many of us who are banned from marijuana when it’s legal in 34 states. ”

Instead of simply exposing the injustice of Winslow’s insane life sentence for holding a bag of Bud, Master P wants 5/20 to celebrate Winslow’s life too. “This is what I’m trying to do,” he said.

Winslow and his companion, Tammy Harris, were shot dead on May 4th at Harris’ home in Shreveport, Louisiana. The murder investigation is still ongoing. Winslow had only been a free man five months before he died.

“We have to make sure that this injustice doesn’t happen to more people. We need to raise awareness, educate our culture and prepare detainees for freedom, ”Master P said in a press release. “Anyone imprisoned for a small amount of cannabis and still fighting this injustice, we want to help them regain their freedom.”

Cannabis remains federally banned in the United States, although 34 states have now legalized either medicinal or recreational cannabis. The American legal cannabis market is currently valued at at least $ 16 billion.

While Caucasians make up the bulk of the state-licensed owners and executives of cannabis companies, Blacks and Latin Americans make up the bulk of cannabis convicts. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, around 31,000 Americans served prison terms for cannabis offenses in 2019. That number is down from 42,000 in 2004, but there is still a lot to be done.

Social justice initiatives have gained momentum in recent years as more U.S. states legalize recreational and medicinal cannabis. Cannabis social justice programs include early release of prison inmates for convicts, sealing or clearing criminal records so ex-convicts can lead normal lives, and providing small business loans for those most vulnerable to war Drugs are affected.

But why 5/20? Master P provided several reasons. First, 5/20 is slang for “exotic weeds,” and Master P would like to reserve at 5:20 pm on May 20th to light rare or novel strains of cannabis. Second, rap legend Busta Rhymes was born on May 20th.

Regardless of whether Master P’s efforts lead to a new weed vacation, we commend him for his hard and important work. To the next wave of cannabis legalization that focuses on social justice rather than unnecessary regulations and tax systems.

Donate to the GoFundMe page to help Fate Winslow’s family with their tragedy.