When looking at rhetoric versus reality, we have major concerns with the Trump administration's “Treatment First” plan for responding to Americans who are struggling with drug addiction and homelessness.
Doctors, advocates, and regulatory experts call the CAOA a comprehensive alternative to rescheduling marijuana, which keeps criminalization in place
Supreme Court Rejects Use of Ambiguous Drug-Use Standard to Limit Constitutional Rights
DPA Emphasizes Schedule III Would Continue Marijuana Criminalization, Calls for Federal Decriminalization and Regulation
As lead co-sponsor of the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), which just celebrated its five year anniversary, Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes championed groundbreaking marijuana legalization that prioritized community repair and reinvestment.
Rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III would boost corporate profits and could expand some research, but would maintain criminalization, harmful enforcement, and barriers to health and safety.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a 27% decrease in overdose deaths in 2024. This is a hopeful sign, but the House of Representatives just moved forward with deep cuts to Medicaid—the largest payer of substance use disorder treatment in the country.
On May 8th 2025, more than 700 families with loved ones lost to overdose released an open letter to President Trump and Congress urging them to embrace lifesaving health responses to the overdose crisis and reject punitive policies.
This bill permanently classifies all fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as Schedule I without testing for medical benefits, blocking research that could lead to new overdose treatments. It also entrenches and expands mandatory minimums, imposing harsh penalties that do not consider individual circumstances, while diverting resources from health solutions for fentanyl to criminalization.
Leading advocacy organizations detail the Hochul administration mismanagement and present roadmap for fixing cannabis law implementation.
