An Open Letter to the President of the United States
Dear Mr. President,
I’m writing this not as a politician, a lobbyist, or someone chasing headlines, but as a regular American who has lived through addiction, loss, pain, and recovery.
First, I want to acknowledge and thank you for taking an important step by reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III. That decision matters. It signals progress. It tells people like me that the federal government is finally starting to admit what millions of Americans have known for decades: marijuana does not belong in the same category as the most dangerous drugs on the planet.
But respectfully, Mr. President, it’s not enough.
My name is Roddy Sorrell. I’m from New Castle, Indiana. I’m not a scientist or a career activist, I’m someone who almost didn’t make it. I’ve spent years battling addiction, in and out of hospitals, watching friends and family members suffer, relapse, and in some cases die from opioids and alcohol. I’ve lived through the system we currently defend, and I can tell you firsthand, it is broken.
For most of my life, I was taught that marijuana was the enemy. That it was dangerous. That it was a “gateway drug.” Meanwhile, alcohol was celebrated, and prescription opioids were handed out like candy. Those substances nearly killed me. They have killed people I loved.
Marijuana didn’t.
When I finally turned to cannabis, not to get high, but to survive, it helped me eat again. It helped with pain, nausea, anxiety, and sleep. It helped me step away from opioids. It gave me clarity instead of chaos. Stability instead of desperation. For me, marijuana wasn’t a gateway drug, it was a gateway out.
And I am far from alone.
Across this country, people are using cannabis to manage chronic pain, PTSD, trauma, and recovery, without the deadly risks of opioids or the violence and destruction caused by alcohol. There has never been a recorded fatal overdose from marijuana. Meanwhile, alcohol kills over 140,000 Americans a year, and opioids kill over 100,000 more. Yet marijuana remains criminalized at the federal level.
That contradiction costs lives.
Rescheduling marijuana helps, but as long as it remains on the Controlled Substances Act, people will still be arrested, research will still be restricted, businesses will still be punished, and stigma will still follow those who use it responsibly, especially people in recovery.
This is also a matter of justice. The war on marijuana has devastated communities, ruined lives over nonviolent offenses, and disproportionately targeted minorities and the poor. Legalization and decriminalization aren’t about encouraging use, they’re about ending unnecessary harm and letting adults make safer choices.
The American people are ready. Most states have already legalized marijuana in some form. Public support is overwhelming. The science is clear. The lived experiences, mine included, are undeniable.
Mr. President, I appreciate the progress you’ve made. But now is the moment to finish the job:
- Fully remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act
- Federally decriminalize and legalize cannabis
- Expunge nonviolent marijuana convictions
- Let science, compassion, and reality, not fear, guide policy
This isn’t just about marijuana. It’s about public health. It’s about recovery. It’s about honesty. And for people like me, it’s about staying alive.
I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m asking for common sense, and for the federal government to stop standing in the way of something that saves lives.
Respectfully,
Roddy Sorrell
Author, My Marijuana Epiphany: How Pot Saved My Life
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing as an American citizen who has seen firsthand the damage caused by addiction, outdated drug policy, and the continued criminalization of marijuana at the federal level.
First, I want to acknowledge and thank you for taking an important step by reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III. That decision matters. It signals progress and recognizes what millions of Americans already know: marijuana does not belong in the same category as the most dangerous substances under federal law.
However, respectfully, this step does not go far enough.
For decades, marijuana has been portrayed as dangerous while substances like alcohol and prescription opioids, both far more harmful, emain legal and widely accepted. Alcohol and opioids have destroyed families, communities, and lives. Marijuana has not. There has never been a documented fatal overdose from cannabis, yet it continues to be treated as a controlled substance.
Across the country, people use cannabis responsibly to manage chronic pain, PTSD, anxiety, nausea, and recovery from opioid dependence. In states where marijuana is legal, opioid prescriptions and overdose deaths have declined. Cannabis has proven it can be part of the solution to the public health crisis we are facing.
Keeping marijuana federally controlled continues to cause harm. It limits medical research, blocks small businesses, fuels unnecessary arrests, and maintains a stigma that hurts people who are simply trying to live healthier lives. It also perpetuates decades of injustice from a failed war on drugs that disproportionately impacted minority and low-income communities.
The American people are ready for change. A strong majority support legalization, and most states have already shown that regulation works. Science, experience, and public opinion all point in the same direction.
I respectfully urge you to finish the job by:
• Fully removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act
• Federally decriminalizing and legalizing cannabis
• Expunging nonviolent marijuana convictions
• Allowing science and compassion, not fear, guide federal policy
This is not about encouraging drug use. It is about public health, personal freedom, justice, and honesty. Marijuana prohibition has failed. It is time for federal policy to reflect reality.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
*A concerned American citizen