Mission Green’s campaign calls for the release of cannabis prisoner Parker Coleman

Mission Green, an initiative of the Weldon Project, an initiative of the justice reform advocacy group, announced Thursday that it had filed a clemency petition for Parker Coleman, who is serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison for distributing marijuana. The filing continues Mission Green’s campaign to secure the release of men and women imprisoned for marijuana crimes and follows President Joseph Biden’s recent announcement that he would pardon all federal convictions for simple marijuana possession .

The clemency petition is part of the efforts of Mission Green, an initiative of the Weldon Project working to break cannabis inmates out of prison. The Weldon Project is led by Weldon Angelos, who served 13 years of a 55-year sentence in federal prison for a nonviolent marijuana conviction after a diverse group of lawmakers, legal scholars, athletes and entertainers campaigned for his freedom.

“Since my release from prison, I have dedicated my life to securing the release of others incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses,” Angelos said in a statement. “The case of Parker Coleman is a perfect example. He should not spend another day in prison for behavior that is no longer even criminalized in much of the country. Enough is enough.”

Mission Green is working with the Academy for Justice to file clemency petitions urging Biden to fulfill the promise he made during the campaign to release those convicted of nonviolent marijuana crimes. The filing for Coleman is part of a new campaign, the Cannabis Clemency Initiative, which seeks to help people incarcerated on marijuana convictions, starting with those incarcerated in federal prisons. The new initiative encourages collaboration between criminal justice scholars and reform advocates to achieve their ambitious goals.

Parker Coleman hugs his mother.

Legal Scholar drafts clemency petition

Coleman’s plea for clemency was authored by Erik Luna, Amelia D. Lewis Professor of Constitutional and Criminal Law and founder of the Academy for Justice, a criminal justice reform program at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. In the petition, Luna wrote that commuting Coleman’s sentence would be a “powerful, tangible step in reaffirming the President’s commitment to ending federal incarceration for nonviolent marijuana crimes.”

“Parker Coleman, a young African American man, is currently serving a 60-year federal prison sentence for nonviolent distribution of marijuana — that is, a de facto life sentence from a person of color for conduct now permissible under state law across the country and openly run as a business by the multi-billion dollar cannabis industry,” Luna wrote. “Mr. Coleman’s sentence is not only a disturbing example of racial and class inequality in federal drug enforcement, it is excessive compared to the penalties imposed in similar cases or that would be imposed in state courts today.”

In 2014, Coleman was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for marijuana trafficking and money laundering, plus an additional 30 straight years for a nonviolent firearms offense. The clemency plea argues that the sentence was excessive at a time of widespread cannabis policy reform, and notes that Coleman took steps to redeem himself and improve his life while he was behind bars.

“His effective life sentence is also at odds with recent reforms in law and policy, as well as a fundamental shift in public opinion, all of which are moving away from incarcerating people like Mr. Coleman for nonviolent drug offenses and toward a nonpunitive approach to marijuana ‘ the petition says. “Despite the unfairness of his sentence, Mr. Coleman has worked hard on his rehabilitation and self-improvement. His track record while incarcerated and a strong support network of family and friends make Mr. Coleman an ideal candidate for pardon from an excessive and unjust sentence.”

Luna hailed President Biden’s recent pardon of federal offenses for simple marijuana possession as “a historic event in criminal justice reform and an important first step in correcting the enduring injustices of a national drug ban.” But he added that “extra work needs to be done, particularly the release of those incarcerated at the federal level for nonviolent marijuana-related offenses — including Parker Coleman.”

By granting clemency in this case, Luna said, “the President would further demonstrate his commitment to righting injustices and his belief that America is truly the country of second chances.”

Parker Coleman is currently serving a six-decade sentence for a nonviolent marijuana conspiracy offense while simultaneously making many thousands of investors millions of dollars while violating essentially the same federal marijuana laws. Now in his mid-30s and having already served a decade of his sentence, unless Parker receives a presidential pardon by the time he is released, he will be in his 80s, a de facto life sentence.

Plea for clemency is supported by greenhouse brands

The clemency petition is supported by California-based vertically integrated cannabis company Glass House Brands and the company’s Chairman and CEO, Kyle Kazan, who has been working to secure Coleman’s release for more than a year. Kazan, who is also a former police officer and Mission Green board member, personally supports Coleman’s plea for clemency by guaranteeing mentorship, meaningful employment and housing after his release.

In a public statement, Kazan said, “While Glass House has generated well over $100 million in revenue from growing, shipping and selling marijuana while no one at the company has spent a day in jail for it, the juxtaposition between the legal business and prisoners like Parker Coleman is staggering.”

“It is a moral imperative for me to devote my time and resources to clearing up the absurd inconsistencies that exist today in the twilight of marijuana prohibition,” he added.

Glass House President Graham Farrar says that “Parker is a cannabis prisoner of war”.

“It’s insane that he’s going to be locked in a cage for a 60-year sentence on a nonviolent cannabis charge,” Farrar wrote in an email to High Times.

“The work that Weldon Angelos and Erik Luna are doing is amazing. I’m proud that Glass House and Kyle are a part of it,” he added. “As a former police officer, Kyle’s voice is vital in the fight for a cannabis pardon for Parker and the 2,700 other federal cannabis prisoners of conscience currently in prison over a plant. It is time to end the war on cannabis and set our fellow Americans free.”