More than 50 civil rights and drug policy organizations have joined forces to urge Congress to support comprehensive federal cannabis reform through the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2025. This united front shows a significant moment in the effort for cannabis reform, and highlights the growing consensus that America needs bold action, not incremental changes.
The letter, led by the Drug Policy Alliance and signed by influential groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and many more, makes a compelling case for why full descheduling represents the only viable path forward for meaningful cannabis reform.
Their message arrives at a critical time. While the Trump administration considers simply rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, these organizations argue that such half-measures would perpetuate the very problems prohibition has created. The coalition’s letter states clearly: “To be clear, as long as marijuana remains anywhere in the CSA, it will still be criminalized at the federal level.”
Why Descheduling Makes More Sense Than Rescheduling
The distinction between descheduling and rescheduling cannabis carries profound implications for millions of Americans. Rescheduling would move cannabis to a lower tier within the federal controlled substances framework, potentially eliminating some tax penalties and acknowledging medical benefits. However, this approach would preserve the fundamental structure of prohibition while creating new complications.
Under rescheduling, federal criminalization of non-medical cannabis use would continue. Americans in states where cannabis is legal could still face federal prosecution for activities their own communities have deemed lawful. Banking restrictions would likely persist, as financial institutions would remain hesitant to serve an industry operating in regulatory gray areas.
The MORE Act takes a different approach by removing marijuana entirely from the CSA. This complete descheduling eliminates the conflict between state and federal law, allowing states full authority to regulate cannabis as they see fit while ending federal interference in local decision-making.
Justice Through Legislative Action
The MORE Act addresses the human cost of cannabis prohibition with unprecedented scope. The legislation mandates automatic expungement of federal cannabis convictions and establishes processes for resentencing individuals currently incarcerated for non-violent cannabis offenses. These provisions offer immediate relief to thousands of Americans whose lives have been derailed by outdated drug laws.
The bill’s criminal justice reforms extend beyond expungement. It eliminates collateral consequences that have haunted individuals with cannabis convictions for decades. Federal agencies could no longer deny security clearances based on cannabis use, and no person could be denied federal benefits because of cannabis-related activities.
A federal excise tax on cannabis products would fund job training, reentry services, legal aid, and substance misuse treatment programs specifically targeting areas most harmed by the War on Drugs.
Economic Opportunity and Equity
The letter also talks about how current federal restrictions limit economic opportunity within the marijuana industry. Fewer than one-fifth of cannabis business owners identify as minorities, with only approximately 4% identifying as Black, as stated in the MORE Act. These disparities reflect systemic barriers that prohibition has created and maintained.
The MORE Act addresses these inequities through targeted programs designed to level the playing field. The Cannabis Restorative Opportunity Program would provide loans and technical assistance to small businesses owned by individuals adversely impacted by prohibition. An Equitable Licensing Grant Program would help states develop licensing frameworks that minimize barriers for affected communities.
Banking access represents another crucial advantage of descheduling over rescheduling. Complete removal from controlled substance classifications would eliminate the legal ambiguity preventing financial institutions from serving cannabis businesses. This change would open access to traditional business loans, credit cards, and banking services that other industries take for granted.
The Small Business Administration would be required to serve legitimate cannabis businesses, providing access to development centers, women’s business programs, and veteran outreach services.
Public Support Drives Reform Momentum
Recent polling data strengthens the coalition’s arguments for cannabis reform. A Pew Research survey found that majorities of Americans across political ideologies—liberal, conservative, and independent—support ending marijuana prohibition. This large consensus reflects the growing recognition that current policies have failed to achieve their stated objectives while causing tremendous social harm.
The MORE Act notes that cannabis prohibition costs taxpayers approximately $3.6 billion annually while resulting in over 200,000 arrests each year.
Critics sometimes argue that descheduling cannabis would create regulatory chaos or eliminate important safety protections. The MORE Act addresses these concerns through implementation provisions that maintain appropriate oversight while eliminating meaningless enforcement.
The legislation requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue regulations covering safety, manufacturing, product quality, marketing, labeling, and sales of cannabis products.
These federal standards would provide baseline protections while allowing states flexibility to develop additional requirements based on local needs and preferences.
Cannabis producers and importers would need federal permits and would be subject to annual fees and taxes. The bill establishes penalties for unlawful conduct such as unlicensed production or importation, ensuring that legalization doesn’t mean deregulation.
Workers in safety-sensitive positions would continue to face drug testing requirements, and federal employees would still remain subject to existing workplace policies.
Path Forward Requires Bold Leadership
The coalition’s letter represents more than advocacy—it signals a fundamental shift in how American society views cannabis policy. When organizations with combined millions of Americans in them unite behind comprehensive reform, it reflects deep recognition that small changes cannot address systemic problems.
House passage of earlier versions of the MORE Act in previous congressional sessions proved that marijuana reform can attract majority support. While political dynamics have shifted, public opinion has continued moving toward support for legalization and criminal justice reform.
The Trump administration’s consideration of rescheduling represents an opportunity to build momentum for change. However, accepting limited reforms as sufficient would represent a missed opportunity to address the full scope of prohibition’s harms.
Cannabis policy advocates must continue pressuring lawmakers to embrace comprehensive solutions rather than accepting half-measures.
A Moral Imperative for Change
The letter from these 50-plus organizations reflects a simple truth: America’s cannabis prohibition has failed catastrophically. After decades of enforcement that has cost billions of dollars and destroyed millions of lives, the time for incremental reform has passed.
The MORE Act offers a vision of policy rooted in justice, human dignity, and economic opportunity. It acknowledges that prohibition has caused immense harm while providing concrete mechanisms for repair and restoration.
Rescheduling might appear to represent progress, but it would preserve the fundamental injustices that prohibition has created. Only complete descheduling can eliminate the conflict between state and federal law while opening ways for criminal justice reform.
As momentum builds for federal marijuana policy changes, the voices of these organizations provide clarity about what authentic reform requires. Their unified call for the MORE Act represents the cannabis community’s best opportunity to achieve justice-centered policy that prioritizes human welfare over bureaucratic convenience.
