Just Cannabis

A Mother’s Call to Action ft. Sandra Bowen

Host Mikelina Belaineh interviews Sandra Bowen, who was recently deported after serving a ten-year-long federal prison sentence for a cannabis conspiracy conviction. Sandra discusses her pre-trial and incarceration experiences and details the challenges she’s faced rebuilding her life in a country where she has no community ties or sense of home.

Through A Daughter’s Eyes ft. Richeda Sinclair

Host Mikelina Belaineh interviews Richeda Sinclair, a law student, and poet whose father was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for a nonviolent cannabis crime. Richeda explores the ripple effect cannabis incarceration has had on the lives of her family and community and details how she’s found healing through advocacy and art.

Womxyn & Cannabis Incarceration ft. Stephanie Shepard

Host Mikelina Belaineh interviews Stephanie Shepard, a cannabis justice advocate who spent nearly ten years in federal prison for a nonviolent, cannabis-related conviction. Stephanie details the unique experience of being a Black womxyn ensnared in the United States’s criminal punishment system and talks about the ways she’s using her story to advocate for the thousands of people still incarcerated for cannabis.

Data and Erasure ft. Sarah Gersten

Host Mikelina Belaineh interviews Sarah Gersten, the Executive Director of the Last Prisoner Project, who discusses her experiences as an attorney and advocate in the cannabis policy reform movement. They discuss the limitations of the United States criminal justice data and explore innovative ways to understand the true scope of cannabis-related incarceration in the U.S. and beyond.

Introduction: Intersectionality and the War on Cannabis

In the first episode of Just Cannabis, host Mikelina Belaineh juxtaposes the staggering growth of the United States' legal cannabis industry with the injustice of cannabis-based incarceration. Belaineh highlights the erasure of womxyn from the cannabis policy reform movement and makes the case for considering race, gender, and sexuality in future analysis of the issue.