BEND, Ore. — Cannabis ecommerce platform Dutchie announced a new partnership today with the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit dedicated to undoing the harms of the failed war on drugs and releasing people who are imprisoned on cannabis charges. The wide-reaching partnership will include coordination and support across several of Last Prisoner Project’s efforts, including expungement of criminal records, re-entry support, criminal justice public policy reform, industry event coordination, and technological avenues to exponentially increase charitable contributions. To kickstart the partnership, Dutchie announced today that they donated $100,000 to Last Prisoner Project and pledged to match $1 million in donations from their dispensary partners and cannabis consumers.
“Dutchie is committed to having a positive impact on the future of the cannabis industry and the broad benefits it is bringing to society,” said Ross Lipson, CEO & Co-Founder of Dutchie. “We cannot erase past injustices that people and communities have experienced as a result of decades of failed cannabis policy. But, we can work to bring restitution to those who have been harmed by supporting their release from incarceration and giving them a new lease on life. We are committed to advancing our shared vision to release those behind bars for non-violent cannabis offenses and we’re excited to leverage the Dutchie ecosystem to help scale our impact.”
While cannabis is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, too many people, and primarily people of color, remain behind bars for nonviolent cannabis offenses. This is disproportionately true for Black Americans, who are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis. Dutchie aims to create safe and easy access while advancing the positive change cannabis brings to the world. That is only possible if the industry and society put equity and justice at the center of propelling the industry forward.
“We are excited to begin our partnership with Dutchie and grateful for their generous support of our mission. Together, we will redress the harms of cannabis prohibition by advancing crucial criminal justice and drug policy reforms,” said Mary Bailey, managing director of Last Prisoner Project. “More than 15.7 million Americans have been arrested for nonviolent cannabis crimes in the last two decades. Some of whom are serving life sentences without parole. Together, we’ll help give people and families their lives back.”
In 2019, cannabis industry leaders, criminal and social justice advocates, policy, and education experts founded the Last Prisoner Project out of the belief that no one should remain incarcerated for cannabis offenses. The Last Prisoner Project is committed to freeing every last prisoner of the unjust war on drugs, starting with the estimated 40,000 individuals imprisoned for cannabis.
Dutchie is committed to a long and fruitful partnership with the Last Prisoner Project to advance needed criminal justice reforms. In addition to this partnership, Dutchie’s social equity program continues to support BIPOC and women-led dispensaries through training and marketing stipends. Dutchie is also a member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association. In the coming months, Dutchie will leverage our network of thousands of dispensaries and partners to make an even greater impact as part of the company’s commitment to the partnership.
Dutchie aims to advance the positive societal change cannabis brings to the world and is the cannabis technology platform powering cannabis commerce, streamlining dispensary operations, and providing safe and easy access. To learn more, visit: https://business.dutchie.com/.
About Dutchie:
Dutchie is the fastest-growing cannabis technology platform powering cannabis commerce, streamlining dispensary operations, and providing safe and easy access for consumers. Powering over 5,000 dispensaries throughout the U.S. and Canada and facilitating over $14 billion in sales annually, Dutchie is a one-stop-shop, providing solutions for point of sale, ecommerce, seamless payments, and more. Dutchie is currently valued at $3.75 billion.
Dutchie aims to open minds to the positive societal change that cannabis brings to the world. Dutchie’s solutions directly serve dispensaries and consumers alike, garnering recognition as one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in North America and LinkedIn’s Top 50 Startups for two-years running. To learn more, please visit: https://dutchie.com.
About Last Prisoner Project:
The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis-related criminal justice reform with the goal of releasing every last cannabis prisoner and helping them rebuild their lives. As the United States moves away from the criminalization of cannabis, giving rise to a major new industry, there remains the fundamental injustice inflicted upon those who have suffered under America’s unjust policy of cannabis prohibition. Through intervention, advocacy, and awareness campaigns, the Last Prisoner Project works to redress the past and continuing harms of these inhumane and ineffective laws and policies. Visit www.lastprisonerproject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to donate and learn more.
