Tell Congress: End Federal Marijuana Criminalization. Rescheduling Leaves Communities Behind.

The Trump administration announced the rescheduling of state-regulated medical marijuana products and FDA-approved products containing marijuana as Schedule III substances. This would result in tax relief for businesses selling Schedule III products, lift some research barriers, and acknowledge the medical value and relatively low risk of marijuana. The administration will also hold a hearing to consider the broader rescheduling of marijuana.

After years of delays and half-measures, this partial move toward Schedule III still only delivers incremental change. Schedule III may result in some tax breaks and lift some barriers to research, but it continues federal marijuana criminalization and falls short of the real reform that Americans deserve.

Americans deserve a legal framework that puts public health, reinvestment, and everyday people first.

Help us deschedule and decriminalize marijuana by urging the U.S. House to pass The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act. This comprehensive bill would finally end federal marijuana criminalization and needless arrests. It would remove barriers to jobs, housing, and food assistance by clearing arrest records. It would expand research on marijuana to improve public health. And it would help ensure a fair playing field, so small businesses and people with marijuana convictions can benefit from the industry.

Take Action

Your Message

Subject

Dear Representative,

Message Body

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the issuance of an order to immediately reclassify FDA-approved products containing marijuana and state-regulated medical marijuana products as Schedule III substances, which would result in tax relief for businesses selling those products. The DOJ and DEA also announced a new hearing to consider the broader rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, which would keep federal criminalization in place.

Moving marijuana to Schedule III on the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) may result in some tax breaks for businesses and lift some barriers to research, but it maintains federal marijuana criminalization and falls short of the real reform that Americans deserve.

That is why I urge you to support comprehensive marijuana reform legislation that deschedules marijuana by cosponsoring the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 5068). This vital bill would end federal criminal penalties once and for all by removing (“descheduling”) marijuana from the CSA.  It would also begin to repair the harms caused by marijuana criminalization that have blocked access to jobs, housing, and food assistance; help ensure a fair playing field so small businesses and people with marijuana convictions can participate in the industry; lift  barriers to research; allow veterans to access medical marijuana; and so much more.

The MORE Act would decriminalize marijuana federally and help set up a regulatory framework for a fair industry that benefits everyday Americans by:

--Ending federal criminal penalties once and for all by descheduling marijuana and removing it from the CSA . Criminal penalties can block access to jobs, housing, and other essential needs.

--Repairing the harms caused by marijuana criminalization through reduced sentences and automatic expungements for those with marijuana convictions. This ensures people can move on with their lives and successfully reintegrate into society.

--Investing marijuana tax revenue in communities harmed by prohibition. This funding can support addiction services, reentry programs for people who have been incarcerated, and assistance with housing, employment, and education.

--Providing benefits for small marijuana businesses. It would create a fund to offer loans for small cannabis businesses owned by people from impacted communities and allow the marijuana industry to access Small Business Administration funding.

--Advancing public health by easing research restrictions. Ending federal marijuana prohibition would lift existing research barriers and finally allow scientists to unlock the full medical and scientific potential of marijuana. Rescheduling alone would not lift most barriers on research.

--Allowing veterans to access medical marijuana by allowing their V.A. doctors to complete state medical marijuana recommendation forms.

Supporting this bill is more urgent than ever in light of the Trump administration’s upcoming hearing on rescheduling marijuana. Even if marijuana is ultimately rescheduled, it will still be criminalized under federal law—allowing people to continue being arrested and incarcerated for marijuana-related conduct.

I urge you to support the MORE Act to end federal marijuana prohibition for good, repair the harms it’s caused, and build an industry that can benefit all Americans. The MORE Act is proven legislation that has passed in the House twice in recent years. I hope you will put your full support behind this comprehensive legislation to deliver marijuana reform that prioritizes health, reinvestment, and fairness.

Sincerely,

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

Your Information

Salutation *

Alternate Salutation

Most elected officials’ constituent email systems accept a very limited set of salutations. Please select the one you would most prefer.

First name *

Last name *

E-mail address *

Address *

Address Line 2

City *

State *

Zip Code *

Phone

* Drug Policy Alliance is committed to protecting your privacy and will never share your email address.

If you sign and have not already registered, you will receive periodic updates and communications from the Drug Policy Alliance.

If you take action and have not already registered, you will receive periodic updates and communications from the Drug Policy Alliance.

If you donate and have not already registered, you will receive periodic updates and communications from the Drug Policy Alliance.