Man With Life Sentence Still Imprisoned For Cannabis Sale That Is No Longer Illegal
Activists Fight to Have 69 Year-Old Imprisoned For Cannabis Released
Michael Thompson has spent over 25 years in a Michigan prison facility. He is serving a 40-60 year sentence – and at age 69, he won’t be left with much time for freedom if he outlives his sentence.
What makes Thompson’s situation particularly frustrating – and what has sparked a movement around freeing him – is that he’s behind bars for a simple weed sale from the 1990’s, and that what he did then, is virtually legal now.
Thompson sold three pounds of weed in Flint, Michigan to a customer who ended up being an undercover police informant. Thompson was subsequently arrested. Upon his arrest, police searched his property and found guns, one of which was an antique, and another did not belong to him. Though the cannabis sale was non-violent and no weapon was involved, these findings, plus some past, non-violent priors, led to a harsh sentence with stacked charges.
Fast-forward to now: there’s a global health crisis, and those in prisons like the Muskegon Correctional Facility in Michigan are in danger. According to data from the New York Times, 8 of the top 10 cluster sites for COVID-19 are correctional facilities. Thompson has diabetes, putting him at high-risk for the virus.
Meanwhile, both medical and recreational cannabis is legal in Michigan.
“40 Years Is A Very Harsh Sentence”
Thompson has had a particularly rough time in prison. While behind bars, Thompson’s mother, father and only son had all passed away. He was able to attend his mother’s funeral, but in chains. Her final wish was that her son would not die in prison.
Is that a possibility? Activists hope so. The “#FreeMichaelThompson” hashtag on twitter has sparked plenty of conversations and efforts, especially during the recent climate surrounding racism and prisons.
READ MORE: The Overlap Between Black Lives Matter And Cannabis Activism
Michigan prosecutor David Leyton is one of many of the state’s residents that believes Thompson should be freed.
“40 years is a very harsh sentence,” he told Michigan Live. “In today’s world, if you are convicted of second degree murder, you’re not likely to get 40 years,” he said, noting that Thompson received a more devastating punishment than many who have committed violent, malicious crimes.
Thompson has been advocating for his own release, but has not had much luck. Recently elected Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she’d forgive old cannabis-related crimes, but she has yet to pardon Thompson or offer him clemency.
Whitmer recently wrote an op-edc riticizing the U.S. government’s decision to reopen the economy so early into the pandemic. She added that the decision was made without concern for black lives. But will she extend her own concern to an at-risk black man serving a lengthy prison sentence for a weed crime that doesn’t exist anymore?
In the meantime, you can get involved. You can visit FreeMichaelThompson.com, follow their prompt to email Gov. Whitmer’s office, and sign this petition.
