CURLF - This Man Got 55 Years For $1000 Worth Of Cannabis Now He's Shaking Up Washington DC For Criminal Justice Reform | Benzinga
For years, proponents of cannabis legalization have argued that criminalizing the plant serves no rational purpose.
Weldon Angelos, a prime example of an individual subjected to unjust incarceration for a cannabis offense, agrees.
"If you're in prison for cannabis, it's an injustice, no one should be in jail for cannabis," Angelos told Maureen Meehan, Benzinga cannabis editor and those gathered in Chicago last month at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference.
Angelos was given a 55-year prison sentence at the age of 24 for less than $1,000 worth of cannabis. His case attracted national attention and sparked a broader conversation about the severity of cannabis-related punishments.
He was released from prison in 2016 and did not want to waste time but rather help those who were unfairly sentenced for cannabis possession.
Angelos' Mission
After founding a nonprofit called the Weldon Project, he worked on changing the law, which led to the passing of the First ...