Spencer Boston Smoked a Joint in a Tennessee Courtroom

Every once in awhile the world delivers something that gives you a little more faith in humanity than you had the day before. Our most recent gift came in the form of Spencer Boston, a Tennessee resident who lit up a joint while in a courtroom appearing for a charge for small amount of cannabis being in his possession. Spencer, 20, who had no priors and an otherwise clean background said these words while he was being hauled away in handcuff with a disorderly conduct charge following closely behind— “The People Deserve Better”. He is right. One of our founders wrote this note regarding the incident.

Note from Eric Gaston, Co-founder Evergreen Market

“I recently had the opportunity to testify at a hearing in Olympia on a bill which would have been terrible for Washington’s cannabis industry (it would have outlawed concentrates). As I was at the hearing, speaking with people who cared deeply and passionately for cannabis and our young industry, it struck me again how blessed I am to work in cannabis. As a relative newcomer, it is not lost on me that we are able to sell, grow, and consume cannabis because of the hard, often thankless, work of the advocates and “outcasts” who came before us. These people, willing to fight and go to jail for the cannabis plant, paved the way for all of us.

While driving to Olympia, fighting traffic and horrible weather, and speaking in public is not always fun work, the fact that we have a platform to engage our lawmakers on the importance of allowing for the consumption of concentrates, and the fact that they listened and were receptive to this messaging is remarkable and should not be taken for granted. None of us will go to jail for our advocacy. None of us will be beaten for speaking up for cannabis. We have it far, far, easier than citizens in other parts of our country.

The recent story of Tennessee resident, Spencer Boston, is a case in point: https://www.cnn.com/…/tennessee-man-marijuana-tr…/index.html

Man arrested for smoking marijuana while in court, Spencer Boston, had a message. And nothing was going to stop him from delivering it — not even jail time.

Spencer lives in a state where cannabis is illegal. Like all of us, Spencer believes that cannabis should be legalized. Spencer was arrested not for dealing, nor for smuggling, but for carrying a small amount of cannabis. At his first court appearance, rather than quietly acquiescing to a system that makes this harmless act a crime, Spencer chose to advocate. Spencer lit a joint in protest of a law that makes no sense, he proclaimed that cannabis should be legalized, and that the citizens of Tennessee deserved better. Spencer’s decision to be an advocate for legalization cost him his freedom. The act of lighting the joint resulted in him being charged with a second count of possession, and the act of speaking his mind cost him the charge of “disorderly conduct.” He now sits in jail for doing what you and I are free to do every day. But his message was heard.

Our industry cannot forget about the “Spencers” that went to jail for our right to smoke, or vape, or grow, or sell cannabis. I am able to put food on my table for my family, doing something I love, because of the battles fought and won in the trenches of our Pre-I502 cannabis industry. These same battles are being waged in other states. The people fighting for what we already have deserve our support.

Evergreen Market has donated to Mr. Boston’s GoFundMe page, and we are asking each of you to consider doing the same. Or to at least take a quiet moment to acknowledge the cannabis that we are all able to enjoy in Washington, without fear for our personal liberty, exists because of those brave souls who were willing to put their liberty at risk.

Eric Gaston,
Co-Founder, Evergreen Market”