Robert Platshorn, Who Served Almost 30 Years in Prison for Pot, Is Finally a Free Man

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Robert Platshorn is getting high today. That is, he’s going on an airplane. High Times called him up yesterday to say that he’s being gifted free tickets to this weekend’s Cannabis Cup in Seattle. The reason? After 28 years in prison and six years on probation for smuggling weed, the West Palm Beach resident is finally a free man.
The 71-year-old was part of the Black Tuna Gang — a sophisticated drug ring that became the feds’ first big bust in the War on Drugs. In the ensuing years, he’s become a pot icon. Not only has he served the longest-ever sentence for a marijuana-related crime but he’s become an outspoken advocate on the benefits of medical cannabis for seniors.


Platshorn has been on parole since April Fool’s Day of 2008 and never expected to be off it. He applied for release anyway about four-and-a-half months ago but says he never thought it would be granted.
“My lawyer would keep calling Congressman Deutch, but the answer would always be ‘next week,'” he says. “The request would just lie on someone’s desk.”
Read the rest at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times.

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