A group of celebs, including both sports stars and entertainers, called the “Coalition of Athletes and Entertainers Supporting President Trump’s Policy Objectives,” has sent a letter to the White House urging President Donald Trump to enact cannabis reform.
The coalition is led by boxer Mike Tyson, NBA players Kevin Durant and Allen Iverson, and NFL players Dez Bryant and Antonio Brown. Other figures that signed the letter include rapper Lil Pump, streamer Adin Ross, and Grammy-award winner Wyclef, amongst others.
RELATED: Mike Tyson’s monthly weed budget exceeds $40k
The letter calls on Trump to enact three proposed reforms: clemency for nonviolent marijuana offenses, support for marijuana rescheduling, and ending discriminatory banking practices.
“After making sweeping promises to voters in 2020, former President Biden failed to deliver on his pledge to address marijuana-related injustices,” the letter said. “Not only did he leave office without commuting the sentences of those incarcerated for marijuana, but in one of his final acts, he denied nearly every pending marijuana-related clemency application.”
The letter called on Trump to continue his willingness to grant clemency for marijuana offenders, urging him to take action “unlike [his] predecessor.”
RELATED: Lawmakers urge Trump to act on cannabis
“This betrayal only underscores the urgent need for bold leadership, we believe, and represents an opportunity to correct glaring disparities as part of your Administration’s ongoing push for criminal justice reform,” the group wrote.
The coalition highlighted Trump’s prior pardon of music producer Weldon Angelos, who was sentenced to 55 years in prison in November 2004 for marijuana charges. After being released in 2016, Trump pardoned him in 2020.
Cannabis Rescheduling and Business Services
The letter authors also asked for Trump to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III. Schedule I substances are drugs with a high potential for abuse, while Schedule III substances have a moderate to low potential for dependence, and are accepted for medical use in the U.S. While Trump endorsed the rescheduling during his presidential campaign, he has been publicly silent on the issue since taking office.
“Marijuana’s current classification as a Schedule I substance is scientifically outdated, economically detrimental, and at odds with modern medical understanding,” the letter states. “Rescheduling marijuana would harmonize federal law with state policies, promote innovation, encourage research, and drive economic growth.”
RELATED: Senator called out for bill unfairly targeting legal cannabis
The marijuana industry generates billions of dollars annually, which the letter signatories touched on when calling on Trump to enact reform allowing cannabis businesses to access financial services afforded to other traditional markets.
In the letter, they wrote that state-legal cannabis operators have been denied banking services, despite full compliance with state law. The athletes called on Trump to undo these “unjust barriers,” which include being unable to obtain mortgages from traditional lenders or take standard business deductions, which can lead to tax rates often exceeding 85 percent, or be listed on U.S. exchanges.
“We fully support your commitment to ‘work with Congress to pass common-sense laws, including safe banking,’ ensuring fair economic opportunities and equal access to financial services for all American businesses,” the letter concluded. “These initiatives align with your legacy as a disruptor of the status quo and a champion of the American people.”