Jeff Mizanskey was serving a life sentence in a Missouri prison on a marijuana-related charge until this past Tuesday, September 1. Now, two decades later, he is a free man.
Mizanskey was a repeat offender when he was given the lengthy sentence back in 1996. In 1984 he was convicted of possession and sale of marijuana and again in 1991 on another possession charge. Five years later he was given life with no parole after he was found guilty of conspiring to sell 6 pounds of marijuana to a dealer connected to Mexican drug cartels. Democratic Governor Jay Nixon decided to commute his sentence in May being that he was the only person in Missouri serving such a harsh sentence for a non-violent crime.
According to NBC News, lobbyists fought to have the sentence changed for years after agreeing it was too stiff.
Source: NBC News
