Cannabis clemency for president of St. Louis roofing business
38-year-old Tommy Anderson has been required to wear a monitoring device since being released from prison last year. His case made headlines when he was convicted in 2017.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - 38-year-old Tommy Anderson has been required to wear a monitoring device since being released from prison last year. His case made headlines when he was convicted in 2017.
Anderson was characterized as a drug kingpin, trafficking marijuana across the country and living a lavish lifestyle. He acknowledges his operations involved millions of dollars monthly.
Anderson didn’t believe he was doing anything harmful because recreational marijuana was legal in some states at the time and becoming more acceptable.
“It was just an entrepreneurial spirit in the wrong line of business before it’s time,” he said.
The University City resident recalls feeling his operation was becoming too big after purchasing an additional turboprop aircraft to transport money and marijuana.
Now, Anderson is the president of two companies, including a commercial roofing business that he said is about to go nationwide.
He believes his business success, coupled with being a non-violent offender and wider acceptance of recreational marijuana, are factors contributing to a decision by President Joe Biden to commute his sentence.
Anderson credits the Last Prisoner Project for fighting on his behalf.
“I feel like a thousand-pound block has been lifted off my shoulders,” Anderson said. “I mean, I just feel like a new lease on life.”
He’s waiting for details about the full legal extent of his commute but expects he will no longer be required to wear a monitoring device.
Anderson said regular visits from his parents while being imprisoned helped keep him focused on finding a new lease on life someday.
He was held in the St. Louis County Jail for more than three years while waiting for his trial. Anderson served his sentence at a federal prison in Marion, Illinois.
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