🇺🇸 Free the Green: A Letter to President Donald J. Trump

An Open Plea from the American People & the Cannabis Family

Legalize It

President Trump,

It’s time to Free the Green — to remove marijuana from the federal Schedule I classification, where it has been trapped since the Nixon era.

A Law Without a Vote

Few Americans realize that marijuana’s placement as a Schedule I drug — supposedly with “no medical value and a high potential for abuse” — was never voted on by Congress. It was assigned there in 1970 under the Controlled Substances Act by executive direction, intended as a temporary classification until a scientific commission could study the plant and make recommendations.

That commission, known as the Shafer Commission, did complete its work — and in 1972, it recommended that marijuana should not be criminalized and should be removed from Schedule I entirely.

The findings were ignored. Politics won. Science lost. And for over fifty years, that misclassification has remained the foundation for arrests, imprisonment, and lost opportunity.

The Power Exists — Right Now

The authority to reschedule or deschedule marijuana today rests within the Executive Branch itself — shared among the DEA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Attorney General.

These agencies possess the power to act, yet continue to delay, debate, and deflect responsibility — even as the American people and the states have already spoken.

You, President Trump, hold the power to cut through that bureaucracy. You can order a full review, insist on transparency, and compel action where hesitation has ruled for decades.

The Cost of Inaction

• Small farmers and entrepreneurs are punished for entering an emerging legal market.
• Private prisons and corporate lobbyists continue to profit from outdated penalties and enforcement schemes.
• The federal government itself holds patents on cannabis compounds, highlighting the irony of criminalizing what it also profits from.

Why This Matters Now

This is no longer a cultural issue or a partisan one — it’s an American issue. We are a nation built on liberty, fairness, and innovation. Yet our laws on cannabis are relics of a fear-driven age that no longer exists.

While some states have moved forward with legalization, many remain unable to fully participate in the legitimate cannabis economy. Federal Schedule I status continues to block access to banking, prevent federal research funding, and limit economic growth for lawful businesses.

The people are ready. The markets are ready. Science is ready. Only the federal law — and outdated politics — remain stuck in the past.

The Bottom Line

Marijuana is illegal because the federal bureaucracy said it is — not because of science.  That’s why we wrote: to fix a broken system. President Trump, legalize it, cut through the red tape, and let reality catch up with the law.

Free the Green.
Free the People.
Let common sense return to American law.

With respect,
— Tennessee Cannabiz