San Quentin resident Hamed Ali Daneshmandpourlashgari, 41, says he has been struggling with weight loss most of his adult life, weighing at his heaviest about 325 pounds.
He is a recipient of the prison’s new program to combat obesity and diabetes and has been receiving Ozempic injections for more than two months. Having already lost 50 pounds within that time frame, he openly attests to its effectiveness and benefits not just to his physical but mental health as well.
“Losing weight has helped me with my confidence,” he said. “I feel like I can stand in front of a person and present my best self. I’m so thankful to CDCR for starting this program.”
Though the Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic for use in 2017, according to Wikipedia, it wasn’t until October of 2023 that the CDCR approved the distribution of the medication for weight loss in prisons.
Incarcerated people are now eligible to receive the weight loss drug if they have a Body Mass Index of more than 30 percent. The suitability of the drug has also been extended to other residual properties of being overweight, according to the San Quentin Medical Department.
San Quentin’s Primary Care Physician Morgan Yao-Cohen M.D. oversees plus-sized residents’ weight loss journey. Dr. Yao-Cohen said she likes to see first if her patients can lose weight through exercising and eating healthy foods without the assistance of the medication.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Ozempic is an injectable medication that helps treat obesity and lower blood sugar (glucose) levels for Type 2 diabetics. Due to its incredibly fast-paced and effective results, the medication has gained lots of popularity; its ability to affect the part of the brain that processes hunger, increasing how full a person feels after eating, requires the care and direction of a medical professionals.
According to Dr. Yao-Cohen, she aims to clearly and consistently articulate to her patients’ the possible side effects, and the way the drug works within the body, before prescribing the medication. And like with most prescriptions, while there can be risks, she is grateful to hear about the positive impact the weight loss is having on her patients.
“My goal is to always offer the same level of medical care that individuals receive in society,” Dr. Yao-Cohen said.
San Quentin resident James Johnson, 34, said he gained over 100 pounds from “stress eating” while housed in California’s North Kern State Prison reception center. Though he believes that all bodies are beautiful, obesity had begun to affect him physically. Now since being prescribed Ozempic in November of 2024, Johnson said that he has over lost 54 pounds.
“I feel fantastic physically and mentally. My confidence is at an all-time high, plus I’m back doing my yoga,” Johnson said. “If I could meet the person that made this program possible, I would tell him or her thank you for meeting me halfway; the medication is the start, keeping the weight off is up to me.”
Another San Quentin resident, Ray T. Rivera, 39, struggled nearly his whole life with body image and health issues, at his heaviest nearly weighing 300 pounds at just five feet four inches tall. Rivera attests to the psychological reassurance and confidence Ozempic has given him since starting it. Having been teased about his height and weight from a young age, he reflects on how such bullying and the socially constructed images of beauty, especially in the media, created a sense of self-loathing in him that led to criminal behavior.
“Everywhere I looked; TV, movies, and magazines, I was being indoctrinated and sold an image of what beauty was, and none of these people looked like me,” Rivera said. “America wasn’t the place to grow up as a fat kid in my day.”
Rivera added that the weight loss is as much for his wellbeing as his health because he now recognizes that a positive body image enables a healthy mindset. Rivera said he currently weighs less than 200 pounds for the first time since middle school.
Countless individuals inside and outside of San Quentin can attest to the life-changing qualities of Ozempic as a medication, which encourages many to become the best version of themselves. San Quentin residents are taking important steps toward healing and rehabilitation. Daneshmandpourlashgari now likes to use his free time to volunteer in the San Quentin chapel area to help out with events and says his weight loss has given him the energy to be not just a more active person but a helpful participant within the community he resides.
