Dear Friend,

Today, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing his attorney general to expedite and complete the process to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Rescheduling would acknowledge marijuana’s accepted medical use and relatively low risk. It could potentially lift some, but not all, restrictions on research into marijuana’s risks and benefits. And it would boost corporate profits. However, it would leave the failed system of marijuana criminalization, and the lasting barrier to housing, jobs, and food assistance that arrest records create, firmly in place.  

Tell Congress: federal rescheduling is not enough. We need to deschedule marijuana and create a legal framework that benefits all Americans.

For decades, our movement has been fighting for real marijuana reform that ends targeted arrests and incarceration, protects health, expands economic opportunities, and reinvests in communities. And we’ve made enormous strides toward this vision. But rescheduling leaves big gaps that come with heightened risks in today’s new political reality. 

Here’s why rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III is not enough: 

• Criminalization continues, meaning lasting barriers to jobs and housing remain. Marijuana possession and use remain federal crimes everywhere—regardless of state law, leaving millions vulnerable to arrest, deportation, and the loss of housing, employment, and other basic needs. 

• Significant federal marijuana research roadblocks will likely remain. Many barriers to research on marijuana will remain under Schedule III due to existing congressional legislation. These restrictions will limit researchers’ ability to study the marijuana products people actually use and to generate reliable, real-world evidence on their safety and effectiveness.  

• Still no national safety framework. Despite marijuana being legalized for adult use in 24 states and for medical use in 40 states, the federal government has not established standards for product safety and regulation, labeling, or worker protections. 

• Corporate interests benefit most. Rescheduling provides major tax breaks to marijuana companies but delivers little for consumers, patients, or communities harmed by criminalization. 

Earlier this month, we delivered a petition to the Trump administration, signed by people like you, urging them to deschedule marijuana. Now is the time to keep the pressure up by making our voices heard by members of Congress.  

We are urging Congress to pass the MORE Act to ensure meaningful marijuana reform that actually ends prohibition once and for all. 

Tell Congress: pass the MORE Act and deliver marijuana reform that protects health, safety, and basic freedoms.

The MORE Act would: 

• End federal criminal penalties by decriminalizing marijuana. 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.    

• Require federal labeling standards. Labeling requirements should provide clear information on potency, ingredients, and safe usage to help consumers make informed decisions.  

• Reinvest marijuana tax money into health and addiction services, job training, and public health programs. Funding could support community needs by creating expanded addiction services, reentry programs for people who have been incarcerated, and assistance with housing, employment, and education. 

With your help, we will keep pushing for marijuana reform that puts people before corporate profits. And we’ll keep you updated as we continue this fight in Congress, with the Trump administration, and alongside our allies across the country.