Life for Pot

 

Thank you Eiliana Wright 

A Love Story: Beth Curtis, the Mother Theresa of Marijuana and the hidden gem of Zanesville, Ohio

Apr 15, 2022 | 0 comments

Read about a life well-lived…

…and an unexpected romance.

BONUS: At bottom of story, meet some of the people she helped free from life sentences for marijuana.

By Eiliana Wright
Harm Reduction Ohio Journalism Intern
Denison University ’22

Every year, during each national holiday, Beth Curtis of Zanesville, Ohio, places a stack of cards on her otherwise cluttered work desk. On the front of each card are photos of people who have been sentenced to a life in prison for marijuana.

The addresses on the envelopes belong to senators, state representatives and lobbyists that Curtis wants to nudge towards the goal of marijuana legalization and lowered marijuana sentences.

Curtis, now 80, and founder of the national advocacy group Life for Pot, has been working from her home in Zanesville for 28 years with the mission to set marijuana lifers free. In that time, the “Mother Theresa of Pot Prisoners” has had success in helping to free more than 25 previously incarcerated marijuana offenders. While she’s undoubtedly changed the lives of many people, her life has also been altered in the process. Her dedication has brought both love and heartbreak through the people she’s come to know who have been at the mercy of a system plagued by hypocrisy and injustice.

Curtis’ unique strategy to bring attention to her cause is one based on love, attention to detail and persistence. She hand-addresses every envelope and uses real stamps – a task that consumes hours upon hours every year.

“I know how I sort my mail—and it’s really quick. No stamped envelope? It goes straight to the trash.” She pauses and starts laughing to herself. Then, she puts her thumb and pointer finger in front of her face and twists them ever-so slightly to the right. “And… a stamp that’s slightly askew.” She burst out in laughter.

Curtis knows that if it looks like a real letter, there’s a better chance that someone who matters will open it—and that’s worth the hours upon hours she spends doing mailings every year.

That’s the kind of person Beth Curtis is: the kind that plays the long game and is willing to persist to reach her goals. Throughout her life, she says “Whatever I did, I did it. I cared about not just drifting through.”

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EDWIN RUBIS - THOUGHTS ABOUT 420

 

Edwin Rubis is in a nonviolent person who is serving a defacto life sentence for a nonviolent marijuana offence.  He received the trial penalty since he did not take a plea.  

4/20  -   WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?

  This year, cannabis enthusiasts will celebrate 4/20 around the world. In America, thousands will toke up with their friends in their respective states where cannabis is legal. Marijuana businesses will take advantage of the holiday to sell and market their products.

   Not me.

   I'll be going through the same rigorous, monotonous routine I've gone through for the past 8,760 days, waking up to see fences upon fences topped with coiled razor wire and gun sentries, reminding me of the place I've been condemned to live in until God knows when. In a place where perturbed loudness and human uneasiness abound, in a place where senseless violence can explode at any moment.

   True, there are many who believe I shouldn't be here for a plant that's now legal in thirty-five states and counting. The hundreds of letters I've received over the years testify of such lamentation. Yet feeling empathy for my situation, and others in the same boat, can only take you so far. Telling me, "that's a horrible thing you're going through," can only comfort me so much. Our unjust situation needs radical personal involvement. A campaign in the form of NO-PARDON-NO-VOTE aimed at President Biden in the next election, or something of the sort.

   Being in prison during 4/20 frustrates me more than anything else. The government is keeping us locked up for a product that many are profiting from, including politicians. Just ask ex-speaker of the house, John Boehner, member of Acreage Holdings, a cannabis company, who would rather make a buck than advocate for congress to let us go in the name of social justice.

   Many celebrating 4/20 are unaware what prison is like for me. Over the years, I've had to scrounge for funds to further my education. I've had to go without food items and toiletries from the prison commissary just to buy my college books and pay for my tuition. I've had to go without so that I could make phone calls and send e-mails to my loved ones and friends.

   Don't get me wrong, Last Prisoner Project, FreedomGrow, MissionGreen, Cheri Sicard, and others help as much as they can (LPP bought my college books for my Masters Degree). But it's still not always enough to carry the day. A few weeks ago, I had only $.85 on my prison account, until Amy Povah and her organization deposited $150.00 This enabled me to buy food essentials in the form of pre-cooked rice, turkey sausage, tuna, oatmeal, peanut butter, dried fruit, and so forth to make my own microwaved meals. Regular prison food is unhealthy and not always so edible after eating it for over 24 years. The rest went to the phone and e-mail. Everything in prison costs money.

   So  on this special day, all I can muster is a glimmer of hope and faith that someone will speak on our behalf, that someone will remember the forgotten ones, that someone will pledge and sponsor us, to ultimately bring us home to celebrate 4/20 with our friends and loved ones.

**** Edwin Rubis is serving 40 years in federal prison for a non-violent marijuana offense.

      He has been in prison since 1998. His out-date is 2033.

      You can e mail Edwin at: edwinrubis@aol.com

The More Act

 

Last night I was able to talk Craig Cesal who has been a good friend for many years,

Craig was one of the people serving life for pot who received clemency from President Trump on his last day in office, Jan. 21,2021.  For someone who was suppose to die behind bars, being free is a miracle for Craig and all the other nonviolent people who were sentenced to die behind bars for a nonviolent marijuana offence.

Unfortunately, there are still people who fit this profile who did not win the lottery of clemency or compassionate release.  Many are hopeful that the More Act will give them back their life.  Unfortunately, the More Act falls short of this hope.

The Cannabis Industry and the Criminal Justice System will have no integrity as long as these people are caged until death.  

The most logical way to right this excessive punishment would be presidential clemency for marijuana offenders as a category.  

This is Craig's piece about why the More Act may be false hope for many.  Prisoners Left Behind