“Winrow was sentenced to life in prison under a brand new law. He was the first person in the US to be charged under the Anti-Drug Abuse Law of 1988, one of the cornerstones of Reagan’s “war on drugs”.
“‘The poor schmuck just happened to be unlucky that he is the first one,” Assistant US Attorney John Gordon told reporters at the time.
“This week, that same ‘poor schmuck’ got the news he has been hoping for for 28 years – he is going home. He was one of 111 inmates who were granted clemency by President Obama this week. A total of 673 inmates have been approved for clemency by the administration so far.”