The Hidden Third

Podbit · The Hidden Third

America’s Last Weed Prisoner

Explore episode Jun 17, 2026
Government
The Rescheduling That Helps Nobody in Prison

America’s Last Weed Prisoner · Jun 17, 2026 Government

Trump's rescheduling of cannabis is non-retroactive, meaning it provides zero relief to the thousands of people currently in federal prison for cannabis offenses. Then the Supreme Court ruled that a non-retroactive law change can no longer serve as grounds for compassionate release.

Where this was said

The First Deal: Discovering the Cannabis Margin at a Birthday Party

At 36:12 · chapter starts 33:05

The inflection point arrives at a birthday party where Wall meets a major Philadelphia supplier bringing hundreds of pounds from California. He does the math instantly: his friends are paying $1,200 for a quarter pound, and he can acquire a full pound for $3,800 — the spread is obvious and enormous. His first deal funds itself from pooled friend money. Within six months he is moving 50-100 pounds a week, making $500-600 per pound, and accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars with nowhere to put it. Working as a busboy at Ocean City that summer while simultaneously selling cannabis to college kids, he makes the obvious choice. Legalization is just beginning — Colorado and DC have moved, California and Oregon are inevitable — and Wall sees a window closing. He decides to get to the source.

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