For decades, cannabis advocates have fought to end prohibition, free cannabis prisoners, and repair the damage caused by the failed War on Drugs. Yet in 2026, while legal cannabis generates billions in revenue across the United States, thousands of people still live with criminal records, incarceration, and lifelong consequences tied to a plant that is now commercially embraced in much of the country. That contradiction is exactly why Freedom Grow will be attending SSDP’s Cannabis Week of Unity in Washington, D.C. this May.
Freedom Grow CEO Bill Levers and CFO Kristi Kem will join advocates, organizers, policy experts, formerly incarcerated individuals, and cannabis industry leaders on Capitol Hill to speak directly with lawmakers about what meaningful cannabis reform should actually look like.
And spoiler alert: it is going to take a hell of a lot more than rescheduling.
Organized by Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and the broader Cannabis Unity Coalition, Cannabis Week of Unity 2026 will bring advocates to Washington, D.C. for a coordinated week of lobbying, education, and activism focused on ending federal cannabis prohibition and addressing the human cost of criminalization. The coalition’s goals are clear: deschedule marijuana, release cannabis prisoners, clear records, and restore rights.
For Freedom Grow, this mission is deeply personal.
Cannabis Reform Without Justice Reform Is Incomplete
Too often, conversations around cannabis legalization revolve around taxes, licenses, market share, and investor opportunities. Meanwhile, many of the people who risked everything during prohibition remain incarcerated or continue to face barriers to housing, employment, banking, education, and basic dignity because of cannabis convictions.
Freedom Grow has spent years supporting cannabis prisoners through commissary assistance, outreach programs, public education, family support, and advocacy. Their work shines a light into one of the darkest corners of the cannabis conversation: the people left behind while others profit.
According to SSDP and advocacy organizations participating in Unity Week, nearly 3,000 people remain incarcerated in federal prison for cannabis-related offenses, while cannabis arrests continue nationwide despite widespread legalization efforts.
That reality is exactly why Freedom Grow believes cannabis policy reform must include:
- Immediate release of nonviolent cannabis prisoners
- Federal descheduling of cannabis
- Expungement and record clearing
- Restoration of voting, housing, and employment rights
- Reentry support for formerly incarcerated individuals
- Protections against predatory corporate consolidation
- Pathways for legacy operators to participate legally
As Bill Levers puts it, “You cannot build a legitimate cannabis industry while ignoring the people who sacrificed their freedom during prohibition.”
Why Cannabis Week of Unity Matters
Cannabis Week of Unity is more than another industry conference or networking event. This is boots-on-the-ground advocacy happening directly inside the nation’s capital.
The week includes lobby training sessions, congressional meetings, press conferences, coalition gatherings, and direct engagement with federal lawmakers. SSDP and coalition members are preparing attendees to effectively communicate with congressional offices and advocate for meaningful reform policies.
Organizations involved in the coalition include SSDP, NORML, Drug Policy Alliance, Minority Cannabis Business Association, and other advocacy groups that have spent years fighting for comprehensive reform.
For Freedom Grow, participating in Unity Week means bringing the voices of cannabis prisoners and impacted families directly into rooms where policy decisions are made.
That matters.
Because too many lawmakers still view cannabis reform through outdated political narratives instead of through the lens of public health, civil rights, economic fairness, and restorative justice.
The Human Cost of Prohibition Still Exists
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding cannabis legalization is the idea that the fight is over.
It is not.
Not even close.
People are still sitting in prison for cannabis offenses while licensed operators legally sell products in regulated dispensaries across the country. Families are still recovering from decades of targeted enforcement. Communities continue to experience the long-term economic and social consequences of prohibition-era policing.
Cannabis Week of Unity seeks to force federal representatives to confront that uncomfortable truth head-on.
Freedom Grow plans to emphasize that justice reform cannot simply become a marketing slogan used during election cycles or social equity campaigns. It requires measurable action, accountability, and sustained federal policy changes.
That includes ending federal prohibition entirely—not simply moving cannabis from one schedule to another under the Controlled Substances Act.
Because rescheduling without broader reform still leaves enormous problems unresolved.
From Grassroots Advocacy to Federal Conversations
Freedom Grow’s presence at Unity Week also represents something larger happening within cannabis culture right now: a renewed push toward grassroots activism.
As the legal industry matures, many advocates fear the movement’s original purpose is being diluted by corporate interests and political convenience. Events like Cannabis Week of Unity help refocus the conversation on people, policy, and accountability.
Freedom Grow has consistently maintained that the cannabis industry owes a debt to the individuals who suffered under prohibition.
That belief is not theoretical.
It is reflected in the organization’s day-to-day work supporting incarcerated individuals through their Wish Program, providing commissary funds, educational materials, family outreach, and reintegration support.
Now, Freedom Grow is bringing those experiences directly to Capitol Hill.
A Defining Moment for Federal Cannabis Reform
The timing of Cannabis Week of Unity 2026 is critical.
Federal cannabis reform remains politically fragmented despite overwhelming public support for legalization. Advocates continue pushing for comprehensive reform measures that address criminal justice harms while creating equitable economic opportunities.
Meanwhile, younger generations are demanding policies rooted in evidence, compassion, and human rights rather than outdated fear-based propaganda.
SSDP has emphasized that young people have long been among the biggest casualties of the War on Drugs and that real reform requires addressing the root causes of criminalization.
Freedom Grow agrees.
And that is why Bill Levers and Kristi Kem will be walking the halls of Congress this May—not to celebrate partial progress, but to demand meaningful action.
Because nobody should still be in prison for cannabis.
Not in 2026.
Not ever again.
