In the late 1990s, Edwin Rubis was in his late 20s and got mixed up with the wrong people operating on the wrong side of the law, and when the law caught up, Edwin was the only defendant who refused to cop a plea, instead fighting the feds and their prized 98% conviction rate.
As the song goes, Rubis fought the law, and the law won; the result was a guilty verdict on a handful of nonviolent Cannabis distribution charges. To show any future freedom fighters what happens when you challenge Uncle Sam’s lawyers, Rubis was crushed by a 40-year sentence in federal prison, a bid he has already served 26 years… and counting.
“Cannabis distribution” is a lucrative license category in today’s regulated markets, so you can imagine the frustration that Edwin Rubis must feel watching people who were born after he got locked up now making six or seven figures driving truckloads of weed around, doing the same things his old crew got popped for decades ago.
Having exhausted all of his appeals, despite a record of nothing but good behavior behind bars, Rubis now faces the reality that he could still have a decade or more to go before he is free.
Efforts have been made in the past to raise awareness of Edwin’s situation and petitions circulated lobbying for his freedom. But so far, these things have not worked, and another decade of incarceration for a man who has already served so much time for a nonviolent crime is unacceptable.
Leaf Magazines was founded in 2010 as an avocacy and culture magazine for the Cannabis community and has fought for freedom for the plant ever since those early pre-recreational days.
Like Leaf Magazines, Beard Bros Pharms has been advocating for the release of all Cannabis prisoners for over a decade now, and the Bros have been blessed to exchange hugs and high-fives with many who have been granted their long overdue freedom, including Craig Cesal, Weldon Angelos, Luke Scarmazzo, John Casali and others. Edwin’s story and his continued lockup have torn at our emotions for years, and now it is time to consolidate all efforts to free Edwin Rubis immediately.
As we approach Election Day, the Beard Bros plan to rally heavy hitters in Cannabis culture and beyond to put pressure on peoplte like President Joe Biden to pardon Edwin Rubis before he leaves the Oval Office. Our colleagues at Jungle Boys and Catalyst have already contributed directly to Edwin’s books and to the rekindled effort to get him home to his family as soon as we can, and Leaf Magazines is jumping in to help spread the word. We cannot do this alone, but we can do anything with allies like these and the ones you will see stepping up soon.
Here’s how you can help to #FreeEdwinRubis!
When you see Beard Bros Pharms amplifying this cause in the coming weeks, like, comment and share that content and those calls to action with your sphere of influence. We have a powerful voice when we all speak together.
Get involved at BeardBrosPharms.com. Follow @beardbrospharms for updates, and be sure to follow @FreeEdwinRubis.
