The Weldon Project announced the launch of a new project in partnership with leaders in the cannabis industry to encourage cannabis consumers to help donate to and support federal cannabis reform.
The Mission [Green] Alliance is a grassroots effort started by Weldon Angelos, a criminal justice activist working towards ending cannabis prohibition, and allows cannabis consumers to support federal reform at participating dispensaries through the point-of-sale process by rounding up their purchases to the nearest whole dollar to donate.
Proceeds from the Mission [Green] Alliance will go toward advocacy for individual clemencies, support incarcerated people, help legislative reform and craft strategies to help get other prisoners released. Numerous stakeholders from the cannabis industry have pledged their support of the Mission [Green] Alliance, including Glass House Brands, AYR Wellness, TerrAscend, PharmaCann, Sunny Daze, 4Front Ventures, Missouri Health & Wellness, C21 Investments, Vangst, Headset, Springbig, Treez, SALT, Mattio Communications, Aeropay, Flowhub, Eminence Capital, JW Asset Management, and CB1 Capital.
“Cannabis operators and consumers alike have the responsibility to acknowledge the complex history of cannabis and take meaningful steps towards greater equity,” said Weldon Angelos, Founder of The Weldon Project. “The Mission [Green] Alliance is a simple and efficient way for consumers of legal cannabis to support causes that champion justice in cannabis.”
Cannabis operator Verano Holdings announced last year that it had entered a partnership with The Weldon Project to further advance the goals of Mission Green, with Verano supporting the mission with a nationwide fundraising campaign across the business’ more than 100 retail dispensaries across the country. The partnership with Verano also included a spotlight on the case of Luke Scarmazzo, who had served almost 15 years of a 22-year prison sentence for operating a state-compliant medical cannabis dispensary from 2004-2006. Scarmazzo was subsequently released from prison in February 2023.
“As one of the largest multi-state cannabis operators in the U.S., we’re proud to partner with Weldon Angelos and the Mission Green team and use our scale to amplify our support for cannabis clemency and continue the fight to repeal the harmful, outdated cannabis laws that have negatively impacted countless communities and individuals for generations,” said George Archos, Verano Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “The important work the Mission Green team facilitates in support of cannabis clemency initiatives and advocacy across the political spectrum is essential as we seek to right historical wrongs and create positive, meaningful changes in our society, with the ultimate goal of ending cannabis prohibition.”
The Weldon Project was founded after Angelos was sentenced to 55 years in prison for selling less than $1,000 worth of cannabis to an informant, with the case becoming a symbol of the excessive punishment often dealt for non-violent cannabis offenses. Angelos was eventually released from prison in 2016 and became a vocal cannabis advocate for those still behind bars. He was issued a full pardon by then-President Donald Trump in 2020. Efforts by Angelos and other cannabis advocates led to the passage of the First Step Act, which allows for the early release for deserving federal prisoners. According to the Justice Department, over 7,500 prisoners qualified for early release by July 2022.
“We decided to form the Weldon Project and our first initiative was project Mission Green that would work with the White House on cannabis clemency issues. We wanted to make sure that this group of offenders wasn’t passed over again,” Angelos said. “And so we worked with the last few years of the Trump administration to get a number of individuals who were serving life in prison for cannabis clemency, as well as other people that were serving lengthy sentences.”
