Papa began to paint while in prison, and his self-portrait "15 to Life" was exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art,[2] which led to a flood of media attention.
The book is an autobiographical account of Papa's experience with New York's criminal justice system and narcotics laws.
According to the Huffington Post, the pardon represented a vindication for him and a public proclamation that the punishment he received was inappropriate for the non-violent drug crime he committed.
It was reported on June 25, 2017, by Richard Johnson of the NY Post that "Tony Papa, who became an advocate against the war on drugs after 12 years behind bars, is trying to get Adrian Grenier to star in the story of his life, "This Side of Freedom."
Papa founded The Mothers of the New York Disappeared in 1997 (along with Randy Credico), and this group became the leading activist entity against the Rockefeller Drug Laws.
[9] Papa appeared with Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter in Quebrando o Tabu (2011) a film released in Brazil about the global war on drugs directed by Fernando Grostein Andrade and produced by Luciano Huck.
While Douglas was incarcerated, authorities caught him using drugs, causing the judge to extend his sentence by four and a half years.
In 2012, Michael Douglas stated during his Emmy acceptance speech that he was being denied the ability to visit his son for two years because of Cameron's drug use in prison.
Recently he has spoken about Attorney General Jeff Sessions' attempt to bring back the drug war of the 1980s and 1990s.