If you know me, you probably know I have a passion for cannabis. Ever since I was a teenager, my relationship with weed has been more than recreational—it’s medicinal, creative, and spiritual.
I have always been a proponent of marijuana legalization. So you can imagine that when I was invited to follow in the footsteps of one of my idols, Willie Nelson, to create my own line of cannabis products with his company, Willie’s Reserve, it was a dream come true. But it was the process of becoming a cannabis entrepreneur that opened my eyes to the injustices of our criminal legal system. How is it possible that I could legally sell my own line of cannabis products while so many people are still being arrested and incarcerated for using marijuana?
What’s worse is that so many of those who are arrested for marijuana possession have bail amounts set against them that they can’t afford to pay. They wind up staying in jail for little more than marijuana possession because they don’t have enough money in their bank accounts to get released. That’s when I realized I wanted to be part of the solution.
Countless Americans rely on cannabis to cope with medical conditions, mental health issues, and the stresses of daily life. Even as marijuana use becomes legal from state-to-state, too many people are still in jail on marijuana-related charges. So when I learned about The Bail Project and its work to help people who are presumed innocent but are in jail pretrial on bail, many of whom are women and people of color, it was a no-brainer. I knew I had to support The Bail Project.
This issue means so much to me personally—as someone who cares deeply about social justice and marijuana decriminalization. It makes me proud that I can donate a portion of the proceeds from my marijuana line and merchandise at Willie’s Reserve to The Bail Project.
As more people are arrested on low-level drug charges and held in pretrial detention on unaffordable bail, I am grateful that organizations like The Bail Project exist. And I know I’m not alone. Knowing the entire Bail Project community in this with me gives me so much hope.
I hope you’ll join me in this fight to end cash bail with a donation to The Bail Project. If all of us stick together, I know we can help so many people who are being unnecessarily incarcerated because of cash bail.
Thank you for reading. The Bail Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is only able to provide direct services and sustain systems change work through donations from people like you. If you found value in this article, please consider supporting our work today.
