Stephanie Shepard is the Acting Executive Director of Last Prisoner Project, where she leads the organization’s national work to free those incarcerated for cannabis offenses and to repair the lasting harms of cannabis criminalization. A powerful advocate for retroactive relief, Stephanie brings both lived experience and deep empathy to her role, turning her own story of incarceration and resilience into a driving force for change.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 15: (L-R) Bartees Strange and Joy Oladokun perform onstage at the Last Prisoner Project’s Journey to Justice Gala at Sony Hall on October 15, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Last Prisoner’s Project)
In October, I stood on a stage at Last Prisoner Project’s Journey to Justice Gala surrounded by people who understand what freedom means in a way most never will. The room was filled with advocates, families, and individuals who have lived through incarceration for cannabis. It was a night of music, tears, and reunion, both a celebration of freedom and a call to keep going until every last cannabis prisoner is home.
In that space, I saw the purpose that keeps me moving forward.
More than a decade ago, I was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for a first-time, non-violent cannabis offense. Ten years for a plant that is now legal in state after state, a product sold in bright storefronts, generating billions of dollars in revenue. I served my sentence, and I lost years of my life. And when I came home, I had to start from scratch, carrying a label that still follows me.
That is why the work of Last Prisoner Project means everything to me. We were founded on a simple belief: no one should remain incarcerated for cannabis while others profit from its legalization.
Author: Stephanie Shepard / High Times
