A Redemption Story: A Conversation with Ryan Basore of Redemption Cannabis
We chatted with Ryan Basore, founder of Redemption Cannabis and the Redemption Foundation, and a driving force behind restorative social justice in the cannabis industry.
He shared his journey—from rural Michigan to federal prison—and now, his comeback to West Virginia, the very state where he served two and a half years. Later this month, Redemption will launch at Trulieve in West Virginia for a full-circle moment that's as inspiring as it is exciting for cannabis lovers throughout the state.
Read on to learn how he's now using his platform to restore lives, families, and communities hurt by outdated cannabis laws.
Q: Can you tell us about where you grew up and how cannabis first entered your life?
Ryan: I grew up in a small town in Michigan, on a farm. When I was about 12, I fell off a tractor during winter and seriously hurt my back and hips. The doctors prescribed me three muscle relaxer pills a day. That stuff really messed me up—even as an adult, I can’t take them.
About a year later, I discovered cannabis. It did everything I needed and helped me stop taking those pills altogether. But I had to hide it. I was related to almost everyone in town and involved in sports and school. Even then, I clearly saw the medicinal value of cannabis.
Q: How did Redemption Cannabis and the Redemption Foundation come to life?
Ryan: Redemption Cannabis and the Redemption Foundation were both founded in the winter of 2019, but their roots go back almost a decade earlier. I was first raided in December 2010, and for the next eight years, I watched as caregivers and patients—people who were following Michigan’s medical marijuana laws—were still being targeted, raided, and persecuted.
I started raising money as early as 2011, using whatever I could to help pay for attorneys for those folks. That eventually evolved into the Redemption Foundation—a way to provide ongoing support for people who had been raided, incarcerated, or were still suffering the fallout of cannabis prohibition.
When I was in federal prison, I made a decision: I wasn’t going to let what happened to me define me—I was going to use it. While I was in Morgantown, West Virginia, I made a promise to myself that once I got back to Michigan, I’d start a cannabis brand with a purpose.
That’s also when I had the idea for supporting cannabis prisoners through commissary. I saw firsthand how hard it was for guys who didn’t have outside financial help. Their time was harder, lonelier, and more dangerous. I knew I wanted to build something sustainable, so I committed to giving 10% of Redemption Cannabis licensing revenue to the Foundation.
Q: What happened in the lead-up to your arrest? What was that period like for you?
Ryan: It was intense. For about two years, I was followed by Blackhawk helicopters nearly every day. They even followed my family members. We lived deep out in the country, and about once a quarter, they’d send a Chinook helicopter on “training runs” that would just hover over my house for 30 minutes to an hour at a time.
I got pulled over eight times, all off the record. Cops would stop me, push me around, take whatever I had on me. They were trying to break me down mentally.
Then in the summer of 2012, they raided my house hard. We knew it was serious because the DEA was involved. A month later, seven of us were indicted—including my now brother-in-law and father-in-law—for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.
Q: What was going through your mind at that point?
Ryan: I wanted to fight it. I had some money saved from a business buyout and thought I had a shot. But I didn’t fully understand how the federal system works. In the Western District of Michigan, the conviction rate is 99%. Once you’re indicted, it’s almost impossible to win. The feds can throw whatever charges they want at you.
I was the last one to plead guilty. I was almost out of money, preparing for trial, when they told me flat-out: take a four-year plea deal or go to trial and face 5 to 15 years, and they’d also indict my fiancée. At that point, I took the plea and I was sent to Morgantown, West Virginia, to serve my time.
Q: What kind of work does the Redemption Foundation do?
Ryan: We do a lot. One of our key initiatives is the Rick Thompson Memorial Fund, named after a friend who was crucial to legalizing cannabis in Michigan. Through it, we’ve done over 2,000 free marijuana expungements. We also support families—especially children—impacted by cannabis incarceration. That includes holiday drives, medical supply donations, and re-entry programs for people getting out of prison. We’ve partnered with organizations like the Weldon Project's Mission Green, and we fund inner-city youth programs in places like Baltimore.
Q: You mentioned a commissary program. Can you explain how that works?
Ryan: Yeah, it’s close to my heart. Commissary funds can be used to purchase snacks that supplement nutrition, time to make calls home, and hygienic items.
When I was in prison, the monthly commissary cap was $300—for food, phone time, emails, and other supplies. That might not sound like much, but in prison, it makes you “wealthy.” My first job there paid $14 a month, and calls were 50 cents per minute. For the guys with no outside support, it was brutal. Some were pushed into desperate situations just to survive.
Our commissary program aims to provide the maximum funds possible, up to $300, to every federal cannabis prisoner and to reduce the strain on families. An additional $300 a month can be a significant expense for families already struggling due to the absence of a family member in prison.
That’s why we started putting money on the books of federal cannabis prisoners—people in for nothing more than weed. We’ve donated as much as $20,000 in a single month solely to support cannabis prisoners specifically.
Q: After sharing your story, what do you want Trulieve readers come away with?
Ryan: We’re building something that’s about more than just selling cannabis. It’s about righting wrongs, restoring families, and reinvesting in communities that paid the price for prohibition. That’s what Redemption is all about.
To keep up with their mission to bring justice, healing, and second chances to those still impacted by outdated cannabis laws, medical cannabis patients—and supporters of the cause—can follow Ryan and the Redemption Foundation at redemptioncanna.com and theredemptionfoundation.org.
And look out for Redemption products hitting Trulieve shelves in West Virginia this month!
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