FREEDOM GROW

BRINGING LIGHT

TO A DARK CELL

FREEDOM GROW is an all-volunteer non-profit 501c3 organization.  We help cannabis prisoners regain freedom while we support their sacrifices through ’The Wish Program’.  The Wish Program helps prisoners with commissary money, books, magazines, family outreach, and public education.

All they have to do is tell us what they wish for – and we do our best to provide it for them!

SPONSORS & VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

2024 Freedom Grow Holiday Drive

HELP US FREE EDWIN RUBIS

 
Freedom Grow’s COO Bill Levers and Jeff Levers (Beard Brothers) have launched a campaign to ‘FREE EDWIN RUBIS’. We’re on a mission to bring Edwin Rubis home!
 
 
Incarcerated for an astonishing 27 years on cannabis charges, Edwin’s story is a testament to the injustices of the war on drugs.
 
Your support is crucial to our mission. Donations will fuel our efforts to raise public awareness, lobby government officials, and mobilize the community. We need to amplify Edwin’s voice and demand justice.
 
Edwin Rubis, originally from El Salvador, moved to Houston at 11 years old. He’s serving a 40-year federal sentence for a nonviolent marijuana offense, convicted in the mid-1990s for conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Despite not being caught with drugs, guns, or money, his sentence was based on testimony from cooperating dealers seeking reduced sentences.
 
During his time in prison, Rubis has become a dedicated Christian, earned a Master’s degree in Christian counseling, and is working towards a Doctorate. He’s also mentored and tutored other inmates, earning praise for his rehabilitation.
Edwin’s case is an example of harsh sentencing for cannabis offenses, Freedom Grow is urging President Biden to grant him clemency. Rubis’s projected release, with good behavior, is in 2032 Why Is Edwin’s Sentence So Severe?
 
Rubis received a 40-year sentence due to his involvement in a marijuana conspiracy case in the mid-1990s. Charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, his conviction was based largely on hearsay testimony from dealers seeking reduced sentences. Rubis went to trial, resulting in a harsher sentence due to the “trial penalty.”
 
His case has drawn criticism for the severe punishment of a nonviolent cannabis offense, especially as cannabis becomes legal in many states. Advocates argue that Rubis’s sentence is disproportionate and highlights broader issues of racial and social injustice in the U.S. criminal justice system.
 
Why Was Edwin Not Released Under New Non-Violent Cannabis Laws?
 
Edwin wasn’t released under new non-violent cannabis laws because his 40-year sentence is for distribution, not possession, and is at the federal level. Despite changes in cannabis laws, his case remains unchanged due to the nature of his conviction. His release is set for 2033, emphasizing ongoing issues with how the U.S. handles drug-related offenses.
 
 
Donate today! Every contribution makes a difference. Join us in the fight for Edwin’s freedom! 
 

OUR MISSION:
BRINGING LIGHT TO A DARK CELL

Freedom Grow is an all volunteer effort to help cannabis prisoners regain freedom

while we support their sacrifices with commissary money, prison outreach, and public education.

Here’s how you can help:

The Wish Program

Freedom Grow (501c3) is committed to serving our cannabis prisoners with a level of support they deserve. We are excited about, the “Wish Program”. We are supporting their sacrifices by providing them with simple things that we take for granted, such as having access to entertainment through magazines or the ability to educate themselves with books. Over the years, prisoners lose touch with family and their absences begins to take a toll on their loved ones, we want to help be their tie that binds. Through The Wish Program we are able to deliver a level of prison outreach that will help keep their hearts and minds connected to the world they left behind! 

PEN PAL PROGRAM

Corresponding with friends and family is a lifeline vital to the survival of those on the inside.  “Mail Call” can be one of the greatest parts of a prisoner’s day, as long as they are lucky enough to receive mail.  For many, mail is the only thing they have to look forward to.

If you are reading this, then the chances are you have said yes to be a prison pen pal.  On behalf of the prisoners, Thank You!

SIGN THE PETITION:
CLEMENCY FOR FEDERAL MARIJUANA PRISONERS

Dear President Biden, 

I am politely requesting that you immediately grant clemency or use your presidential powers to release all non-violent inmates serving federal prison sentences for cannabis-related charges.  Freedom Grow currently has about 260+ people on our outreach list who are serving time in Federal Prison for non-violent cannabis charges.  Please visit https://freedomgrow.org/contact/ for a list of people who we believe you should grant clemency!

The men and women on FG’s outreach list are parents, children, and siblings, who are sorely missed by their families and friends. They are non-violent and pose zero threat to communities.  The sentences they received are disproportionate to the victimless cannabis crimes committed. State by state, laws in support of cannabis use are rapidly sweeping the nation. There are many scientifically proven benefits of the cannabis plant. While the country advances in the cannabis industry, providing opportunities for large incomes, our prisoners remain behind bars and you are the only one that can save them! We believe you are the President who will show compassion when considering commutation and release all non-violent cannabis prisoners.  Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Space Kamp - GrowTogether (Official Video)

“Thank you for all your support when I was in prison. All the letters and newsletters when you all were marching for my release, that’s what kept me from flinging myself under the wheels of the commissary truck in despair. I swear at mail call, the guard always sounded like a dog barking, standing there hollering, “Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!” as he leafed through the pile of envelopes. I bet there are a lot of us POW420s that are alive today because of all you do.”

Paula Huff / Former Cannabis Prisoner

 

“As a former marijuana prisoner that served 25 years of life sentence and received clemency from president Trump, I can attest to the commitment that FREEDOM GROW FOREVER has done to ease the mental torture of life in prison.  Loneliness and hunger are your best of friends.  So receiving a news letter during mail call after the 4 pm count keeps me and other constituents alive.  Prison food and work, contrary to what one saw and heard in the news, or official prison site.  Servings are substandard and hard to swallow, 12 cents an hour was my wage.  Not enough to buy the basic needs.  The worst of times are children’s birthdays, holidays come close.  Powerless to make a birthday or holiday wish come true.  For all the news letters, commissary money and hard drive for me freedom.  I’m forever grateful FREEDOM GROW FOREVER!”

Way Long / Former Cannabis Prisoner

 

“May God bless all of you there in Freedomgrow …I thank all of you for the money I got from all of you that made it possible.  From the bottom of my heart,  I say thank you and may GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU ..THANK YOU!”  RUBEN NOYOLA GARCIA (75327179)

Ruben Noyola Garcia / Current Cannabis Prisoner