As the festive season approaches, the Last Prisoner Project (LPP) is launching its seventh annual holiday initiative calling on the public to send handwritten letters of support to people still incarcerated for cannabis offenses. The campaign is built on a simple premise: even as legalization spreads across the country, thousands remain behind bars for actions that, in many places, are no longer crimes — and they shouldn’t be forgotten during the holidays.
LPP emphasizes that despite shifting laws and attitudes, the emotional weight of incarceration remains heavy, especially this time of year. The organization’s acting executive director, Stephanie Shepard, understands this deeply. She once served nearly a decade in prison for a nonviolent first-time cannabis offense and describes the holidays behind bars as “a time filled with heavy loneliness.” Her experience shapes the program’s mission to bring comfort through connection.
Formerly incarcerated advocate Philip Feng recalls similar feelings. He says the hardest moments were when he felt invisible, cut off from the world. A single letter, he explained, could completely change the emotional landscape of a day — a reminder that someone cared, that he still mattered. It’s those small but meaningful impacts the campaign hopes to replicate for others this season.
The broader context of the campaign highlights a lingering contradiction in U.S. cannabis policy: legalization marches forward, yet countless individuals remain locked up under outdated laws. LPP’s holiday initiative doesn’t aim to solve that disparity overnight, but it does offer a direct, human way to support those still living its consequences.
Rather than big political gestures, the organization asks for something more personal — a moment of empathy, a few handwritten lines, a message of solidarity. This holiday season, LPP’s call is simple but powerful: send hope where it’s needed most.
Dabbin-Dad Newsroom
