Donte West Travels to Indonesia to Save Jarred Shaw’s Life from a Death Sentence over a Small Amount of Cannabis

Donte West and Jarred Shaw in Indonesia

When Donte West boarded a plane to Indonesia, he wasn’t traveling for opportunity or vacation. He went to stand beside a man who might never come home, Jarred Shaw, a 35-year-old basketball player from Dallas facing the death penalty over a 400 dollar package of cannabis gummies.

For weeks, Donte has been living in Jakarta, visiting, eating, and praying with Jarred inside a prison cell. He’s doing everything possible to stop a tragedy before it happens.

“I couldn’t just sit back and watch,” Donte said. “This isn’t about politics or publicity. It’s about humanity.”

From Prison to Purpose

Donte knows what injustice feels like.

He once served three years of an eight-year sentence for possessing a pound of cannabis before overturning his conviction through his own legal motion. His victory made him the 2,779th person exonerated in the United States, according to the University of Michigan Law School’s registry.

That experience lit a fire that has never gone out. After walking free, Donte built his life around one mission, to make sure no one else loses their freedom or their future over a plant. Since then, he’s helped dozens of people come home early and guided others through reentry after long sentences. But the case of Jarred Shaw is different. This time, the fight is for a man’s life.

A Player Caught in the Crossfire

Jarred Shaw was arrested in May 2025 after accepting a package of cannabis gummies shipped from Thailand, where cannabis has been decriminalized. In Indonesia, however, even small amounts of cannabis are treated as narcotics trafficking. The total weight of the candies, not the cannabis itself, was used to charge him with nearly a kilogram of illegal drugs.

Now Jarred, a former standout in the Indonesian Basketball League and Utah State alum, faces a possible death sentence.

Jarred lives with Crohn’s disease and uses cannabis to treat pain, nausea, and inflammation. What he saw as medicine became a matter of life or death.
“He’s not a trafficker,” Donte said. “He’s a patient. He’s a man in pain who made a mistake. That shouldn’t cost him his life.”

Puffco’s Roger Volodarsky Joins the Fight

When word of Donte’s work reached the global cannabis community, one name rose to the forefront, Roger Volodarsky, founder and CEO of Puffco. Known for redefining vapor technology and elevating cannabis culture with authenticity, Roger stepped in immediately to support Donte’s mission.

“Human life has to matter more than stigma,” Roger said. “If we really believe in progress, we have to show up when it counts.”

Through his leadership, Puffco has helped raise awareness and provide resources for Donte’s international efforts. What started as a small grassroots campaign has now gained global attention, with Roger helping connect dots, mobilize networks, and keep the story alive in a space that often moves too fast to notice real injustice.

Missouri-based Illicit Gardens has also stepped up, contributing to support Donte’s work and helping to shine a light on Jarred’s case. Their CEO Adam Diltz, said “While we respect Indonesia’s sovereignty and laws,  we believe that in 2025, sentencing anyone to death or life imprisonment for such a nominal, medicinal quantity is profoundly excessive and inhumane.” Their participation adds to the growing unity across the cannabis industry, a collective reminder that real advocacy doesn’t end at legalization. 

We also want to express deep gratitude to Boston Dickerson, CEO of ShowMe Organics, for his contribution and commitment to standing on the right side of justice. His support represents what true leadership in cannabis looks like, and we are thankful for it.

Donte West & Corvain Cooper at the 40 Tons Level Up Conference

Brotherhood and the Power of Shared Experience

Standing with Donte from day one is his longtime friend Corvain Cooper, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Ambassador of 40 Tons. Corvain also knows the meaning of second chances. He served a life sentence for cannabis before being granted presidential clemency by Donald J. Trump in 2021. The two men have been close ever since, bound by survival and a shared purpose.

“Donte is out there doing God’s work,” Corvain said. “We both walked through fire for this plant. Now we’re fighting to make sure no one else has to.”

Their stories connect across oceans, from California to Kansas City to Jakarta, a reflection of how far injustice travels and how strong resilience can be when the people most harmed lead the way forward.

40 Tons Foundation and the Work Ahead

At the 40 Tons Foundation, we know what this fight represents. We are a social impact organization built by justice-impacted people for justice-impacted people. Every part of our work, from product to platform, is designed to open doors, restore hope, and build pathways for those who’ve paid the price for prohibition.

That mission comes to life every year at Impact Row, our signature activation at MJBizCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Impact Row is more than an exhibit, it’s a space where formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs and legacy operators get real access, visibility, and opportunity in front of investors, buyers, and the broader industry. It’s where lived experience becomes leadership and where the next chapter begins.

When Jarred Shaw comes home, and we believe he will, we’ll be there. If any person once convicted of a cannabis offense chooses to rebuild their life through business, advocacy, or creativity, Impact Row is their home base. That’s what we stand for, turning pain into power and justice into opportunity.

The Global Double Standard

Indonesia’s laws remain among the harshest in the world, with more than 500 people currently on death row for drug-related offenses. Meanwhile, in the United States, cannabis is now a multi-billion-dollar industry employing hundreds of thousands of people. It’s the same plant, but the outcomes couldn’t be more different.

“This is why I’m here,” Donte said. “You can’t have billion-dollar brands and death sentences existing in the same world. Either cannabis is healing, or it’s a crime. It can’t be both.”

A Path Forward

Donte continues to work day and night, speaking with attorneys, appealing to officials, and mobilizing support for Jarred’s defense. The verified GoFundMe page below helps cover ongoing legal fees, translator costs, and humanitarian aid.

👉 Save Jarred Shaw from Unjust Death Penalty

Every contribution helps. Every share matters. Every act of awareness brings Jarred one step closer to coming home.

Hope, Not Headlines

What Donte West, Roger Volodarsky, Corvain Cooper, and countless others are showing the world is simple: real advocacy isn’t about moments, it’s about movement. It’s about standing with those who are forgotten, even when the cameras aren’t rolling.

For Donte, this isn’t about fame or reward. It’s about purpose, the kind that can only come from surviving the system and choosing to fight it anyway.

“We’re all connected by this plant,” Donte said. “If it brought me freedom, maybe it can save his life.”

That’s the hope. And for now, that’s enough to keep him fighting.

Donte West with Corvain Cooper vowing to help all cannabis prisoners!