Cannabis

For those whose lengthy incarceration is driven by cannabis related offenses, the injustice is particularly striking. As the United States moves away from the criminalization of cannabis, giving rise to a major new industry, there remains the fundamental injustice inflicted upon those who have suffered criminal convictions and the attendant consequences of those convictions. 

Learn more and find resurces for your cannabis case-related issues here. 

In an expansion of the Return to Freedom Project, NACDL has launched the Cannabis Justice Initiative in partnership with the Last Prisoner Project. Last Prisoner Project and NACDL are focused on those who are being left behind, people who continue to be punished for past conduct that is now legal under the laws of dozens of states. This shared focus is what has led the Last Prisoner Project and NACDL to establish the ‘Cannabis Justice Initiative’—a endeavor to facilitate Clemency, Compassionate Release, Expungement, and Reform.

 

Learn more about this project, and how you can be a partner in this effort.

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Launch of the Cannabis Justice Initiative

Briefs and Compassionate Release Grants

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Outside Resources Related to Marijuana Arrest and Conviction

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RECENTLY ADDED & UPCOMING

  1. The Champion
    March/April 2025 Cover

    March/April 2025

    What are the evidentiary implications of field sobriety tests in marijuana cases? Does the odor of marijuana give officers probable cause to search a vehicle?
  2. Amicus Brief
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    Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP v. Executive Office of the President

    Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and New York Council of Defense Lawyers as Amici Curiae in Support of Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment.
  3. News Release

    Nation’s Defense Bar Reiterates Opposition to Actions Against Law Firms – Washington, DC (March 18, 2025)

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  4. Live Event
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    2025 Forensic Science & Technology Seminar

    "Making Sense of Science: Forensic Science, Technology & the Law"

    LOCATION: Sahara Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
    DATES: April 24-26, 2025

  5. Webinar
    Trials, Technology, and the Fourth Amendment: Case Law Review

    Trials, Technology, and the Fourth Amendment: Case Law Review [Engage & Exchange]

    EXCLUSIVE NACDL MEMBER BENEFIT
    WHEN:     Tuesday, April 29, 2:00-3:30pm ET / 11:00am-12:30pm PT
    CLE CREDIT: not available
    COST: Free

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