Weldon Angelos’ story highlights the absurdity of Federal cannabis illegality:
In 2003, Weldon was arrested for selling $300 worth of cannabis to the confidential informant on three occasions. Utilizing the ever-expanding federal criminal code, prosecutors turned the three small transactions into 20 distinct federal crimes, including five counts that mandated 105 years of prison time if convicted. This would radically alter the fate of Weldon Angelos.
He was arrested, tried, and convicted in federal court on 16 of the 20 counts and was ultimately sentenced to a mandatory 55 years in federal prison without the possibility of early release. The federal judge who was forced to impose the draconian punishment—a conservative George W. Bush appointee named Paul Cassell—described the sentence as “cruel, unjust, and even irrational” and courageously spoke out against the sentence and urged a presidential commutation. To rescue himself from his own conscience, Judge Cassell resigned from a life-time appointment to the federal bench to advocate for Angelos’s release.
Weldon Angelos became a “national cause célèbre,” the symbol for justice reform for liberals and conservatives alike. In 2016, after an unprecedented, bipartisan campaign to secure his freedom by elected and appointed government officials, celebrities, advocates, business leaders, and myriad of media outlets like the Washington Post, Angelos was finally released from prison after serving 13 years for a first-time, cannabis-related offense. In December of 2020, he was fully pardoned by President Donald Trump.
We are proud to support Weldon and his team as they renew their push for cannabis reform with the Trump administration. Not only are we helping by donating, but we are trying to help provide research about how cannabis is not a gateway drug, but instead a less toxic replacement for opioid, alcohol and other substances Americans are already consuming. Here is the one-pager we put together for Weldon.
“We are deeply grateful to Aaron Edelheit and Mindset Capital for their generous $25,000 donation to The Weldon Project. This contribution directly supports our fight for cannabis reform and clemency for those still incarcerated for cannabis-only offenses. Aaron’s commitment to meaningful reform and his dedication to correcting the injustices of cannabis prohibition make him a vital ally in this movement. With supporters like Aaron, we can continue to push for change and ensure that no one remains behind bars for something that is no longer a crime in most of the country. We appreciate his generosity and partnership in this critical work.” - Weldon Angelos
If you are passionate about cannabis reform like I am, please consider supporting Weldon. You can click the link below to donate: