CHICAGO, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Green Thumb Industries Inc. (Green Thumb) (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), a leading national cannabis consumer packaged goods company and owner of Rise™ and Essence retail stores, today announced the company has partnered with Last Prisoner Project (LPP) on an integrated marketing campaign, including a short documentary, social media advocacy, digital promotions and in-store programs to raise awareness and funds for LPP’s important work.

LPP is a coalition of cannabis industry leaders, executives and artists dedicated to bringing restorative justice to the cannabis industry. The organization’s Clemency and Reentry Initiatives provide pro-bono post-conviction representation to assist individuals in securing release and a clean slate to rebuild their lives.

The centerpiece of the campaign is a short documentary, “Waiting to Breathe,” created in-house by Green Thumb. The film highlights the story of Evelyn LaChapelle, a current LPP Advisor who served more than five years in prison for a cannabis-related offense and has since rebuilt her life with her young daughter with support from LPP.

Following her release, LaChapelle was fired from a job when the company learned about her past. “When I got fired it was like you aren’t done serving your sentence,” said LaChapelle, who currently works in the legal cannabis industry in California. “It was like this is never going to go away. It leaves you with an amount of hopelessness.”

Sarah Gersten, Executive Director and General Counsel of LPP said: “Evelyn’s story really moved all of us and changed the way we envisioned this project and our mission. All of the barriers she faced coming out of prison, how difficult it was for her to find employment, watching her struggle through all of that really gave us the insight to refocus our efforts, not just on releasing folks from incarceration but working with them to ensure that they have the resources they need to successfully reenter.”

According to various sources:

• An estimated 40,000 people are currently incarcerated for victimless cannabis offenses. (Source: LPP)
• 92 percent of 663,367 cannabis arrests in 2018 were for possession alone. (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, 2018)
• Black people are 3.64 times more likely than white people to be arrested for cannabis possession yet are no more likely to sell or use cannabis. (Source: ACLU)

A portion of proceeds from Green Thumb products purchased in the month of September will directly benefit LPP.

Green Thumb Corporate Social Responsibility Director Michael Fields said: “By partnering with LPP, Green Thumb hopes to raise awareness of real people like Evelyn whose lives and families have been positively impacted by LPP, and to provide financial support to LPP which serves as a vital resource for former cannabis inmates transitioning to a successful life following incarceration.”

About Green Thumb Industries

Green Thumb Industries Inc. (“Green Thumb”), a national cannabis consumer packaged goods company and retailer, promotes well-being through the power of cannabis while giving back to the communities in which it serves. Green Thumb manufactures and distributes a portfolio of branded cannabis products including Beboe, Dogwalkers, Dr. Solomon’s, incredibles, Rythm and The Feel Collection. The company also owns and operates rapidly growing national retail cannabis stores called Rise™ and Essence. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Green Thumb has 13 manufacturing facilities, licenses for 96 retail locations and operations across 12 U.S. markets. Established in 2014, Green Thumb employs over 1,900 people and serves thousands of patients and customers each year. The company was named a Best Workplace 2018 by Crain’s Chicago Business and MG Retailer magazine in 2018 and 2019. More information is available at GTIgrows.com.

About Last Prisoner Project

The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) is a coalition of cannabis industry leaders, executives and artists dedicated to bringing restorative justice to the cannabis industry. LPP is dedicated to releasing cannabis prisoners and helping them rebuild their lives. 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 consequences of those convictions. Through intervention, advocacy and awareness campaigns, the forces behind the Last Prisoner Project will work to redress the past and continuing harms of these unjust laws and policies and are dedicated to making sure that every last victimless cannabis prisoner walks free. Visit www.LastPrisonerProject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to donate and learn more.

Source: Green Thumb Industries

A video accompanying this press release is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/499ec3cf-abb8-485f-8548-5b47c987258f