Having served 13 years of a 55-year sentence for possession of $900 of marijuana, New Jersey-based REEForm NJ founder Weldon Angelos knows all too well the struggles of incarceration. To that end, he is mobilizing resources to help others who are locked up for non-violent cannabis-related crimes.
REEForm NJ, a “cannabis company with a major initiative,” is creating an initiative that will allocate proceeds from every single sale of its products in New Jersey to be sent directly into the commissary accounts of incarcerated people convicted of non-violent cannabis crimes. “Providing restitution to those that are currently incarcerated for cannabis offenses is one of the many steps that must happen to rectify the damage that has been done and sadly continues to this day with cannabis persecution and criminalization,” said REEForm NJ Co-Founder Stanley Okoro, who (correctly) believes the drug war “has ravaged countless families and communities, in particular the African American and Latino communities.”
As big-name businesses begin raking in astounding profits from legal cannabis sales, it’s refreshing to see such a successful cannabis company actively work to give back with each one of its products sold. “Every time a consumer purchases our products, they are not only getting their medicine, but they’re also putting money in the hands of someone unjustly incarcerated for cannabis,” said Angelos.
RREEForm NJ Co-Founder Brendon Robinson commented that “social equity shouldn’t be leftovers and it shouldn’t be an afterthought,” speaking to the paradoxical nature of keeping folks convicted of non-violent cannabis crimes incarcerated and penalized while the rest of the world moves happily into the age of lucrative legalization. “We’d like to see every dispensary in the state participating in this program, it’s truly a great cause,” Robinson continued. If other companies did follow suit, it would be an amazing industry-wide initiative that shoves social justice into the national spotlight. While there are many advocates, non-profits, government programs, and other cannabis companies already taking these steps for equity, reform, and reparation, nothing quite like REEForm’s commissary initiative has ever been done, and we can’t wait to see how it positively impacts those incarcerated for cannabis.
REEForm NJ is a subsidiary of the California-based REEForm LLC.
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