The Last Prisoner Project and LeafLink are teaming up for the cannabis industry’s latest collaboration between tech and advocacy.
While LPP has collaborated with cannabis brands in the past to get the word out about their work, this new effort will be LPP’s largest partnership in regard to the swath of industry it will cover compared to products their logo has appeared on. One of the big factors, according to LPP, will be LeafLink’s ability to feature the nonprofit directly within its wholesale marketplace.
It’s a fascinating concept.
Why It’s Such a Cool Idea?
LeafLink is one of the main digital hubs for the wholesale ordering of cannabis by dispensaries. The company manages over $3.3 billion in annual orders, which is said to make up an estimated 35% of U.S. wholesale cannabis commerce. LeafLink is serving 27 markets across the U.S. and Canada at the moment. So there will certainly be a lot of eyes on LPP’s cause as people work to fill their shelves. In the process of streamlining the way cannabis is ordered, LeafLink will expose the efforts of LPP to the 7,700+ cannabis businesses using the platform.
“It is our responsibility as industry leaders to build a more equitable future for the cannabis community,” said Ryan G. Smith, co-founder and CEO of LeafLink. “As an ecommerce marketplace, we thought about how we could best leverage our technology and our unique position in the industry for social good. We’re optimistic that this partnership will fuel conversation and action around criminal justice reform within the cannabis space, while also providing an example for how other tech and B2B companies can facilitate change by tapping into their own networks.”
LeafLink said they hope to encourage direct support of LPP’s advocacy efforts. In the process, they’ll help raise awareness around the need for clemency, expungement and reentry programs for individuals with cannabis convictions.
One of the cool things about the deal is how much room for possibility there is. In LeafLink, LPP has teamed up with a company that’s just going to get more and more eyes on it. Not only as different state markets open up – which is obvious – but also as municipalities try to get in on the action. A lot of the bans by cities in California originally happened because people were scared of some green giant coming to town. As these places eventually open up to storefronts hoping to cash in on their local populations, they become the newest places exposed to LPP before they even open the doors.
More Resources = More Results
With all that potential, it’s easy to understand why LPP’s Managing Director, Mary Bailey, is so excited about more help for the organization’s mission to help cannabis offenders.
“Last Prisoner Project is incredibly grateful to LeafLink for their support of our mission to release cannabis prisoners. Everybody who has the privilege of profiting from the legal cannabis industry should feel a moral imperative to help free those who are still incarcerated for cannabis,” Bailey said. “Last Prisoner Project commends LeafLink for being a part of the solution and doing their part to promote a more socially conscious industry.”
While the deal is awesome in general, the final piece to the puzzle for getting maximum benefit is the dispensary purchaser, GM or owner on the other side of the computer trying to buy some heat for their shelves. Hopefully every time they order, LPP burns a spot a little deeper in the back of their mind. When it comes time to pay it forward as a business, a common occurrence in cannabis but not a guarantee, hopefully they’ll think of LPP.
LPP in L.A.
But regardless of where the partnership goes, LPP was certainly crushing beforehand. Locally, they helped Inglewood native Corvain Cooper reunite with his family earlier this year. He was initially sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for a nonviolent marijuana trafficking charge and the financial crimes associated with having a bunch of weed money.
You can follow Corvain’s Instagram to get a window into what reentry is like for a dad coming back to his kids after all these years and why the work of LPP and other organizations is so important in making those moments happen.
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