Landa prison outreach program

Why are you part of Freedom Grow? I am the founder and current President of Freedom Grow Forever. I have always had a desire for truth, justice, and the American way to light the way into our future. From my earliest teenage years, I have loved smoking marijuana. Of course, I enjoyed getting high, but I was and still am plagued by digestive problems that are relieved with a few simple puffs.

In the s, I became involved with the civil rights movement. What began in as LPOP, Landa Prison Outreach Program evolved and grew over the last decade into a full-fledged operation to help as many cannabis prisoners as she could. Now, with its years of service, exemplary reputation and trusted leadership, FGF is positioned to shift the focus of conversation surrounding cannabis incarceration toward reform of the social equity movement, as a whole, and secure the social narrative for the silenced voices that still must be heard.

With over 40, cannabis prisoners in the US, and even more, globally, who still sit behind bars for their association with this plant, now legal in many states, the demand for judicial reform in cannabis is growing.

Social equity has been a hot topic as of late within the cannabis community nationwide, as to its efficacy, as well as, legitimacy. Many state programs that claim to be inclusive are proving to be anything but, leaving the very communities hit hardest by cannabis prohibition out of the equation. While most discussions of this topic within the community have been rightly focused on BIPOC licensing and barriers to entry, the cannabis community should also be considering those most deserving who cannot enter at all.

Right now Stephanie is in the hole, a tiny cell she shares with three other women. They are not even allowed a pillow, much less access to a phone or any other amenities. Armstrong concluded. Support Independent Media. Get Involved If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us. Publish Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay. North Coast. Central Valley. North Bay. East Bay. The organization is the brainchild of Stephanie Landa, who was inspired by personal experience: Landa spent time in federal prison for growing medical marijuana in San Francisco.

Proposition — the Compassionate Use Act — had passed just a few years prior; the first state-issued medical marijuana card program had been implemented, offering protection from arrest to anyone carrying a card; and retail businesses were permitted to provide safe access to medical marijuana, as long as they distributed only to patients in compliance with Prop. Meetings were being held throughout the city, in which activist associations brought growers and patients into negotiations with city officials.

These officials assured business owners they would be protected from state and federal prosecution. Landa and her business partners Kevin Gage and Tom Kikuchi received written permission from the San Francisco chief of police and district attorney to grow an unlimited amount of medical cannabis, as long as they stayed within city limits and distributed only through patient networks. The letter also offered protection from interference by the federal government, as San Francisco was attempting to become a sanctuary city for growers.

City officials, in writing, stated they would not turn any case brought against the operation over for prosecution, should something happen.

A raid on their operation indeed did happen, and the three defendants were handcuffed but not arrested. They were told they would have to leave the warehouse immediately. Their entire grow operation was destroyed, and the components deconstructed and lost to asset forfeiture. She immediately turned herself in and began the process of negotiating a plea deal in the face of a life sentence. Their attorneys recommended they take the plea deal, despite the fact they would be pleading guilty to cultivating more than 1, plants, even though the grow was nowhere near that size.

In the end, Landa and her co-defendants would each be sentenced to five years in federal prison. Landa spent her time constructively while incarcerated, initiating several programs to help her fellow inmates.