The U.S. justice system is irrefutably flawed and has a dark side, but one company rose from the ashes of a cruel ruling. Richard DeLisi is one of America’s longest-serving and most harshly-punished prisoners for a nonviolent cannabis-related crime, serving 32 years of a 90-year sentence coupled with an eight-year sentence for a total of 98 years. He was freed from prison in December 2020 thanks to the valiant acts of volunteers, pro-bono attorneys, and advocates.
Finally free after over three decades of confinement, DeLisi launched his own brand, DeLisioso, providing flower, pre-rolls, and live rosin, while giving back a portion of proceeds to organizations including the restorative justice nonprofit Last Prisoner Project (LPP).
Rick DeLisi fires up a joint. / Courtesy DeLisioso
Transforming a Nightmare into an Opportunity
Like High Times founder Tom Forçade, DeLisi helped to orchestrate large-scale international pot shipments via plane in the ’70s. He was arrested in 1980 for allegedly flying 7,500 pounds of cannabis from Colombia into the U.S. and served a five-year sentence. But in 1989, police agents set up him and his brother and busted them in a sting operation. It turned out to be a lot more serious than they initially thought.
Imagine stepping into the courtroom, expecting 12-17 years as a worst-case scenario, then getting slapped with 98 years. DeLisi and his brother Ted DeLisi both received 90 years: 30 for trafficking cannabis, 30 for conspiracy to traffic, and 30 more for racketeering, plus an additional eight years.
“I thought they were actually joking,” DeLisi says with a thick Brooklyn accent. “I thought it was some kind of a joke. I was like, ‘How could this be? This is a nonviolent crime. You’re letting all of these violent people out, and you’re trying to keep me for the rest of my life forever?’”
The outcome impacted …
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Author: Benjamin M. Adams / High Times
