As the coronavirus continues to have a meaningful impact on all aspects of the emerging cannabis industry, there is one group largely being left out of the national conversation over policy responses to the crisis: cannabis prisoners.

It is a common misconception that nobody goes to prison for cannabis offenses anymore. While very few receive jail sentences for minor marijuana possession, there are currently over 40,000 people serving time in jails and prisons across the country for violations of marijuana laws.

Many are serving time for distribution convictions. In an era in which entrepreneurs run multi-million dollar businesses that engage in essentially the same behavior, this has become an increasingly untenable and unjustifiable position. Many others languish in local jails because they can’t afford the cost of bail while awaiting trial, while other nonviolent offenders are sent to prison for a positive marijuana drug test while on probation or parole.

– Read the entire article at Forbes.