Last week I wrote a piece for Mississippi newspapers that’s also available here.

In the article, I share the story of a young family in a Mississippi courtroom. A father was facing a non-violent drug charge, and his pregnant fiancée was begging the judge to let him come home. She was due with their first child in a few days.

The judge listened, then gave the man his sentence: 16 years in prison. Next case.

We can blame the father for breaking the law, or we can consider whether our current drug laws are actually helping us build a thriving society.

A family was torn apart in less than 15 minutes, and a child will now grow up without a father in the home.

And yet.

There are better solutions, and change is possible.

President Biden recently granted pardons to more than 6,500 people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. That step alone won’t change the world, but it will change the criminal records of 6,500 people. Small change is still good change! Each step is an opportunity to prevent the kind of harm that happened to the family in that courtroom.

We hosted an End It For Good event 2 weeks ago, and the word “hope” cropped up repeatedly in feedback from the 75 attendees. Hope is on the horizon. Join us!