Tell Congress to Deschedule Marijuana to End Federal Criminalization

The Biden Administration’s DEA is proposing rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I (the most restrictive) to Schedule III (less restrictive) on the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This change would result in some tax benefits for marijuana businesses. But Schedule III would maintain federal criminalization and its harms. Descheduling marijuana is the only way to end federal prohibition and the harms it’s causing to our communities.

As we keep pressure on Biden’s DEA to deschedule, we are also working to do the same in Congress. The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) would provide the comprehensive reform we need and was just reintroduced in the Senate. It would deschedule marijuana to end federal criminalization. It would begin to repair the damage by expunging marijuana convictions. And it would reinvest in the most harmed communities. Urge your Senators to support the CAOA so we can advance marijuana justice nationwide.

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Dear Senator,

Message Body

Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced its support for moving marijuana to Sch. III on the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) pursuant to the Biden Administration’s scheduling review order. Now the DEA is officially moving that rescheduling recommendation forward.  This move would mean the federal government finally acknowledges marijuana has accepted medical use. However, the continued placement of marijuana under the CSA would mean that most marijuana conduct would remain illegal under federal law. This is why we urgently need a Congressional solution to finally deschedule marijuana and repair the harms brought by decades of federal marijuana criminalization.

I’m excited that the Senate has reintroduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). The legislation builds off the House-passed MORE Act and would deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act to end federal prohibition and begin to repair the damage by expunging marijuana convictions and reinvesting in those most harmed due to unfair, racist enforcement such as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities.

I urge you to support the CAOA. Senate action is long overdue. An overwhelming 88% of U.S. adults say that marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical use. Despite the popularity of marijuana reform across the country, there are hundreds of thousands of marijuana-related arrests and deportations in the U.S. every year. The Biden Administration’s announcement to reschedule marijuana, rather than deschedule it, adds more urgency to this issue as rescheduling will not stop future marijuana prosecutions or expunge past convictions.

Comprehensive reforms, like the CAOA, are urgently needed to chart a new path forward. It’s time to end the federal criminalization of marijuana and align federal law with the public’s view, while still allowing individual states to decide the course they want to take on marijuana. Marijuana's declassification as a controlled substance under federal law must be paired with the expungement of marijuana convictions and the reduction of marijuana sentences. Additionally, marijuana tax revenue should fund services in communities adversely impacted by drug criminalization and build up programming to support a more diverse and inclusive legal marketplace. These are all elements of the CAOA.

I hope the Senate will act quickly to ensure the CAOA has the support it needs to pass in Congress, so we can finally end federal marijuana criminalization and fully repair the harm it’s causing our communities. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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