NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – LeafLink, a technology-enabled wholesale marketplace for the cannabis industry, announced a partnership with Last Prisoner Project (LPP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis-related criminal justice reform. This collaboration is LPP’s largest partnership with a tech-company and will be fortified thanks to LeafLink’s ability to feature the nonprofit directly within its marketplace.

While LPP has partnered with individual cannabis brands and retailers in the past, the new partnership with LeafLink will allow the nonprofit to tap into a platform that powers over $3.3 billion in annual orders, or 35% of U.S. wholesale cannabis commerce. By leveraging its e-commerce platform, LeafLink is setting a new standard for marketplaces and business-to-business tech companies that are looking to give back.

Accessible directly in LeafLink’s marketplace, the give-back model has the potential to activate the entire network of cannabis businesses that use the B2B platform to streamline wholesale ordering. Now, retailers who use the marketplace to discover new brands and shop for products to restock their shelves will have the ability to donate to LPP directly through LeafLink’s order confirmation page. Brands and distributors, who use the platform to streamline order management, can donate straight through the seller homepage. Thanks to the tech-enabled integration, LPP will gain exposure to LeafLink’s growing community of 7,700-plus licensed cannabis businesses.

“It is our responsibility as industry leaders to build a more equitable future for the cannabis community,” said Ryan G. Smith, co-founder and CEO of LeafLink. “As an e-commerce marketplace, we thought about how we could best leverage our technology and our unique position in the industry for social good. We’re optimistic that this partnership will fuel conversation and action around criminal justice reform within the cannabis space, while also providing an example for how other tech and B2B companies can facilitate change by tapping into their own networks.”

As the sector expands and legalization ramps up across the country, organizations and leaders are being challenged to address the underlying social inequity that exists within the cannabis industry. With the partnership, LeafLink hopes to encourage direct support of LPP’s advocacy efforts, as well as spread awareness around the need for clemency, expungement and reentry programs for individuals with cannabis convictions. LeafLink joins a list of well-known organizations and activists who support LPP, including celebrity ambassadors Jim Belushi, Damien Marley, Montel Williams and Melissa Ethridge.

“Last Prisoner Project is incredibly grateful to LeafLink for their support of our mission to release cannabis prisoners. Everybody who has the privilege of profiting from the legal cannabis industry should feel a moral imperative to help free those who are still incarcerated for cannabis,” LPP Managing Director Mary Bailey said. “Last Prisoner Project commends LeafLink for being a part of the solution and doing their part to promote a more socially conscious industry.”

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