NEW YORK — RAW Rolling Papers (BBK/HBI), the independent international brand of high-quality rolling papers and smoking innovations, announced on Giving Tuesday that it made a $100,000 donation to The Last Prisoner Project, a non-profit dedicated to repairing the harms of the criminalization of cannabis through legal intervention, advocacy, and awareness.
The $100,000 is allocated toward two different goals. Half the funds will go to individuals who were recently released from prison on cannabis-related charges to provide them with the reentry resources to help them get back on their feet. The other half will fund programs intended to assist individuals who were incarcerated under non-violent cannabis-related crimes.
The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) was founded in 2019 out of the belief that no one should remain incarcerated or suffer the collateral consequences of offenses that are now legal. LPP was brought together by a group of justice-impacted individuals, policy and education experts, and leaders in the worlds of criminal justice and drug policy reform to work to end the fundamental injustice that is America’s policy of cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs.
“For Giving Tuesday, we wanted to make sure we donated to an organization that takes actionable steps to help people who we believe were unjustly charged,” said RAW’s founder Josh Kesselman. “Cannabis laws across the country were – and are – often biased in intent and enforcement. And under no circumstances should individuals continue to serve time for something that is now legal. We hope this donation helps individuals recently released as well as the programs intended to do more in this space a way to give those individuals enough to get them back on their feet or even help individuals gain their freedom. Our industry was built by pioneers who were often targeted by the law. It’s important that we do what we can to help them.”
RAW recently announced a separate grant of $100,000, the RAW Seeds Fellowship grant, to support the JUSTÜS Foundation. Three $20,000 grants were distributed to legacy operators working to open legal cannabis businesses among other grants and help.
About RAW
RAW is a fiercely independent global brand of high-quality rolling papers and smoking innovations. The company produces natural, unbleached rolling papers that are used by millions of people worldwide. RAW’s Classic papers – its most popular line – is loved by veterans and novices alike. Through RAW’s humanitarian efforts, named RAW Giving, it has donated more than $2.5 million in direct cash contributions, plus in-kind contributions of about $200,000 to a wide variety of charities – from clean water in Ethiopia, homeless pets in a no-kill rescue shelter, planting hundreds of thousands of trees, and more. To learn more, visit rawgiving.com.
ABOUT LAST PRISONER PROJECT
The Last Prisoner Project is dedicated to freeing those incarcerated due to the War on Drugs, reuniting their families, and helping them rebuild their lives. As laws change, there remains a fundamental injustice for individuals whose conviction is no longer a crime. We work to repair these harms through legal intervention, constituent support, direct advocacy, and policy change. Visit www.lastprisonerproject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to learn more.
