Tell Trump: End Marijuana Criminalization
President Trump says his administration may act on marijuana reform soon and is considering moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Marijuana is currently a Schedule I drug—meaning the federal government considers it to have no accepted medical use and fully criminalizes it—despite people using it for health issues like chronic pain, anxiety, and epilepsy. And a marijuana arrest can make it hard for someone to get a house or a job, and can even lead to deportation.
But rescheduling to Schedule III would not end federal criminalization or stop arrests for marijuana-related conduct. Descheduling is the only way to truly end federal criminalization of marijuana by removing it entirely from the CSA.
Sign our petition urging the Trump administration to deschedule marijuana. We’ll deliver the petition and signers to his administration over the coming weeks.*
Dear President Trump:
You recently said that your administration could act on marijuana reform soon and is “looking at” moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act. While we agree it’s past time for federal marijuana reform, we urge you to deschedule marijuana which is the only way to truly end federal marijuana prohibition.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, you said you believed it was time to end needless arrests and incarceration for adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use. We agree. But moving marijuana to Schedule III would still leave it criminalized under federal law—allowing people to continue being arrested and incarcerated for marijuana-related conduct.
That’s why we urge you to support decriminalization via full federal descheduling of marijuana—the complete removal of marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act—paired with comprehensive reforms to:
- End federal criminal penalties once and for all. Criminal penalties can block access to jobs, housing, and other essential needs.
- Advance expungements for those with marijuana convictions. This helps ensure a fair playing field, so everyone has access to jobs and economic opportunities including those in the marijuana industry.
- Protect public health and consumer safety. This looks like age restrictions to protect youth, clear labeling so people know what they are consuming, and education on the risks of use and ways to be safer when consuming.
- Invest 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.
This is what Americans want, too! With 88% of Americans in support of legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use, you have an opportunity to deliver the reforms that Americans want by descheduling—not rescheduling—marijuana.
Anything less than descheduling falls short because it will continue criminalizing people for marijuana. It will leave everyday Americans at risk of being arrested, incarcerated, and saddled with criminal records that can create lifelong barriers to housing, jobs, and so much more. We can’t let these harms go on! That’s why we hope you will deschedule marijuana to end federal marijuana criminalization once and for all and deliver on what the American people want and deserve.