On the eve of the High Times anniversary and the New York Cannabis Cup, Brooklyn gathered for something quieter and more deliberate: a moment of recognition.
At Now & Then, friends, advocates, artists, and members of the legacy cannabis community came together to honor Richard DeLisi on his 77th birthday—and the fifth anniversary of his release after serving 32 years in prison for a non-violent cannabis offense. DeLisi is widely recognized as one of the longest-serving cannabis prisoners in U.S. history.
The timing was intentional. While the industry prepared to celebrate growth, awards, and legalization milestones the following night, this gathering paused to acknowledge the human cost that predates New York’s legal market.
A Celebration Rooted in Survival, Not Spectacle
The night wasn’t built around programming or performance. It was about presence.
There were no speeches and no formal agenda. Instead, the room operated as a collective check-in—five years after DeLisi’s release, decades after his sentencing, and at a moment when cannabis justice remains unresolved despite rapid industry expansion.
DeLisi moved through the space with ease—free, sharp, and grounded. Five years out, his role has shifted from symbol to constant: someone who continues to show up, not to relive the past, but to insist that it not be erased.
Many in attendance were connected through years of advocacy alongside Last Prisoner Project, which played a central role in DeLisi’s release and continues to fight for those still incarcerated. The gathering reflected an ecosystem built over time, not a single campaign or moment.
Marking the Moment
A birthday cake by Paulette Goto, sponsored by PreRoll-Er, marked the occasion—acknowledging both DeLisi’s age and the passage of five years since his release without turning either into a spectacle.
The gesture was understated, fitting the tone of the night.
Five Years Free — and the Work Continues
DeLisi’s release in December 2020 was widely viewed as a landmark moment, but it was never meant to signal closure. Since returning home, he has remained actively engaged in advocacy—traveling, speaking, and consistently supporting people still serving sentences for the same plant now sold legally across New York.
His presence in Brooklyn that night—immediately before one of the industry’s most visible weekends—felt pointed. Not confrontational, but impossible to ignore.
Thousands remain incarcerated on cannabis-related charges. Families remain separated. And while legalization has reshaped public perception and market access, it has not yet resolved the damage caused by decades of prohibition.
Holding the Line Between Past and Present
As New York’s cannabis industry continues to define itself, moments like this serve a necessary function. They slow the narrative. They connect the present market to the people whose lives were shaped by laws now being dismantled.
Richard DeLisi at 77 isn’t a figure frozen in history. He represents continuity—between past policy failures and present responsibility, between survival and sustained advocacy.
On this night in Brooklyn, surrounded by people who never stopped believing in him, that responsibility felt shared.
And still unfinished.
