Partner coordination
Connected Donte West, Illicit Gardens founder Nate Ruby, and UMKC law professor Sydney Ragsdale around a single case.
Case result
Chris Duncan
Joplin, Missouri
15-year state sentence. Offense expunged, sentence vacated.
Sentence vacatedExpungedResolved case
Chris Duncan's Missouri cannabis offense was expunged and his sentence vacated after an Amendment 3 petition was granted.
The case
15 years for over 35 grams.
Christopher Duncan was convicted in Missouri for possession with intent to distribute cannabis. After a parole violation he was re-sentenced in 2016 to a 15-year prison term.
He served years of incarceration for a cannabis offense under strict Missouri sentencing laws — the same conduct that the state would later regulate as a legal, licensed industry.
The path to freedom
Missouri Amendment 3 petition and expungement.
When Missouri legalized adult-use cannabis under Amendment 3 in December 2022, expungement processes began and more than 100,000 convictions were cleared. Duncan was eligible, but his case had been lost in the criminal justice system.
Illicit Gardens founder Nate Ruby and a UMKC law graduate connected Donte West with UMKC law professor Sydney Ragsdale, who brought Chris Duncan's case forward. Forgotten Prisoner spoke with elected officials and worked to bring attention to a case that qualified for relief but had gone unaddressed.
Donte West, Nate Ruby, and Professor Ragsdale filed Duncan's Amendment 3 petition. It was granted in March 2023: his marijuana offense was expunged and his sentence vacated.
He was released early from his 15-year term and provided with a reentry grant from Illicit Gardens.
Original sentence
15 years
Result
Sentence vacated
Timeline
From sentence to freedom
- 2016
Re-sentenced to 15 years
Following a parole violation, Duncan receives a 15-year term for a cannabis offense in Jasper County.
- December 2022
Missouri passes Amendment 3
Adult-use legalization begins statewide expungement; over 100,000 convictions are ultimately cleared.
- March 2023
Amendment 3 petition granted
Duncan's marijuana offense is expunged and his sentence vacated.
- October 7, 2023
Released
Duncan is released early from his 15-year term and receives a reentry grant from Illicit Gardens.
The work behind the result
How advocacy helped
Clemency & relief advocacy
Raised the case with elected officials after it was overlooked despite qualifying for Amendment 3 relief.
Reentry support
A reentry grant was provided to support his transition home.
Life after release
Chris Duncan today
Chris Duncan spends time with his family near Joplin, Missouri, catching up on lost time.
He has shared that reentry has been difficult because of his family situation — a reminder that a vacated sentence is the beginning of recovery, not the end of it.
Why this result matters
Legalization alone does not open a cell door.
Missouri legalized cannabis and cleared over 100,000 convictions, yet Chris Duncan remained incarcerated because his eligible case had been lost in the system. His result shows why post-legalization justice requires people actively finding the cases reform was meant to reach.
Help create the next result
Every successful case begins with someone refusing to let another person be forgotten.
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Last updated September 2026.
