Glass House Brands Inc. (CBOE CA: GLAS.A.U) (CBOE CA: GLAS.WT.U) GLASF, a vertically integrated cannabis company, has issued an open letter to President Biden, Former President Trump and Vice President Harris urging them to completely de-schedule cannabis and grant clemency to those incarcerated for nonviolent marijuana offenses.
Kyle Kazan, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Glass House Brands, and a former police officer with the Torrance Police Department, co-signed the letter. Kazan’s unique perspective as both a law enforcement veteran and a leading figure in the cannabis industry lends significant weight to this call for federal cannabis reform.
Public Demand For Change And The Case For De-Scheduling
The letter addresses the overwhelming public support for changing federal cannabis laws. Following the DEA’s comment period on the HHS’s recommendation to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 drug, more than 42,000 public comments were received, a record for any DEA proposal. The vast majority of these comments supported the removal of cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act entirely, rather than just rescheduling it.
Glass House Brands highlights the disparity between state and federal laws, noting that over 74% of Americans live in states where marijuana is legal for either recreational or medical use. The letter argues that cannabis should be treated like tobacco and alcohol, not as an illicit or pharmaceutical drug. The current Schedule 1 classification has led to unnecessary incarcerations and disqualification of otherwise qualified job applicants, issues that rescheduling alone will not resolve.
As Kazan states, “Rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule 3, instead of outright de-scheduling will not solve the problems that have been created by the Schedule 1 classification, such as unnecessary incarcerations and the loss of qualified applicants in the workforce, nor will it provide relief for the millions of Americans whose right to use it is being curtailed by federal prohibition.”
Leadership And Clemency As A Bipartisan Opportunity
The letter calls on President Biden to fulfill his campaign promises to decriminalize marijuana, release cannabis prisoners, and expunge cannabis convictions. Glass House Brands emphasizes the importance of granting clemency to the approximately 3,000 individuals currently incarcerated in federal prisons for nonviolent marijuana offenses. This action, they argue, is essential to ending the legacy of the War on Drugs and correcting injustices within the criminal justice system. Kazan pointedly remarked, “No one should be in prison for a plant.”
Highlighting the bipartisan support for cannabis reform, Glass House Brands urges all three leaders to take a clear stance on federal cannabis legalization. The letter suggests that embracing de-scheduling cannabis could be a decisive factor in gaining voter support in the upcoming elections. “Americans are divided on so many issues. But one thing that the vast majority of both Democrats and Republicans agree on is that it is time to reform federal cannabis laws,” the letter notes.
Kyle Kazan and Graham Farrar, director and president of the company, conclude the letter by asserting that de-scheduling cannabis is not only the bold choice but the right choice. They call for decisive leadership to align federal laws with the will of the American people and state-level progress. “In this case, the bold choice is the right choice,” Kazan and Farrar emphasize.
Read the full letter here.
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