GROWING WEED IN A PRISON
This project began when I was approached about creating a promo video for a startup cannabis company, 40 Tons, in partnership with Evidence Cannabis.
They wanted something simple to advertise their medicinal products, but after I heard the story behind the company, it became clear there was a bigger story to tell—one about humanity, justice, and the flaws in the American system.
Instead of a small commercial,
I suggested doing a two-minute documentary. I had to pitch it that way because I didn’t think they’d approve anything longer. Secretly, though, I told my director of photography to shoot for a 12-minute mini-documentary, because I wanted to give this story the depth it deserved.
The project took us to a prison in Northern California where they grow cannabis to help fund efforts to get people out of prison for cannabis-related crimes.
The irony is staggering: growing weed in prison to free people who are in prison for weed. This hypocrisy was something Evidence wanted to expose, and they partnered with The Last Prisoner Project to channel part of their profits toward legal campaigns to free non-violent cannabis prisoners, many of whom are Black men who have been disproportionately targeted by the system.
We filmed in the prison, capturing this story, but the project took a shocking turn. Our documentary centered around Corvain Cooper, who was serving life in prison because of Joe Biden’s three-strikes law for selling cannabis—while his white best friend and co-owner of 40 Tons, serving for the same crime, went free. We interviewed his family, friends, and community to expose how deeply unjust the system was.
Then, on the last day of Donald Trump’s presidency, Corvain was granted a pardon. I got a last-minute call: “Walid, Trump is pardoning Corvain today! The media is coming to his house—can you go and film it?” That moment was incredible. We captured Corvain reuniting with his mother, daughter, and friends after years apart, collapsing into their arms with the weight of freedom.
This documentary is about more than one man’s story—it’s about a broken system and the fight for justice. It started with a simple commercial request, but my vision was always to go deeper and show the bigger picture. That’s the kind of filmmaker I am, and I hope the images and videos on this page speak to that drive.