A newly formed coalition of professional athletes and entertainers, led by former boxing champion Mike Tyson, has sent a letter to President Donald Trump thanking him for past pardon actions while highlighting the president’s opportunity to outdo his predecessor, Joe Biden, by reclassifying marijuana, expanding pardons and providing banking services to licensed marijuana businesses.

The "Coalition of Professional Athletes and Entertainers Supporting President Trump's Policy Goals" also includes the NBA's Kevin Durant and Allen Iverson, the NFL's Dez Bryant, Antonio Brown, Ricky Williams and musician Wyclef Jean, who all signed the letter.

“It is not only cruel but absurd that people are still being sentenced to lengthy federal prison sentences today for conduct that is legal in most states,” the letter reads.

"After making sweeping promises to voters in 2020, former President Biden failed to deliver on his promise to address marijuana-related injustices," the coalition said. "Not only did he leave office without commuting the sentences of those imprisoned for marijuana, but in one of his last acts out of office he dismissed nearly all pending marijuana-related pardon applications."

The professional athletes said the inaction represented a "betrayal." "We believe this highlights the urgent need for bold leadership and an opportunity to correct glaring disparities as part of this administration's ongoing push for criminal justice reform."

The letter, first reported by Fox News, also references pardons Trump has taken during his first term, including the pardon of Weldon Angelos for his conviction for marijuana-related crimes. Angelos has since become a prominent advocate for reform and has actively worked with both the Biden and Trump administrations to expand pardon opportunities.

“President Trump has shown courage in using his pardon power to correct injustices in our system — including in my own case,” Angelos told industry media on Friday. “Yet, while the legal marijuana industry is thriving, thousands of people remain behind bars for nonviolent marijuana offenses.”

“This coalition of professional athletes, entertainers, and advocates are coming together to call on the President to take bold action: granting mass pardons to marijuana offenders, approving reclassifications, and providing fair banking for legal marijuana businesses,” Angelos said. “We believe President Trump, along with new Pardon Commissioner Alice Johnson, is uniquely positioned to finish the work he began last term, finally delivering justice to those still serving their sentences and advancing meaningful marijuana reform.”

Additionally, the coalition said Trump should complete the process of moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a process that was initiated by the previous administration but has since stalled.

"Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, which is scientifically outdated, detrimental to economic development, and inconsistent with modern medical philosophy," the coalition said. "Reclassifying marijuana will help align federal law with state policy, promote innovation, encourage research, and drive economic growth."

Tyson also addressed the issue of reclassifying marijuana in an interview published by The Dales Report. He said: "I firmly believe that reclassification is possible and more likely than it was under the previous administration."

The former boxing champion also said he believes Trump must be well-informed about marijuana policy, in part because New Jersey Assistant U.S. Attorney Alina Haba "knows a lot about it" and she is "very familiar with the president."

Tyson and prosecutor Haba also recently visited a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lab, with Tyson donning a DEA jacket and never forgetting to promote his marijuana brand's commitment to product safety.

"I still believe that this is a powerful revolution that is happening," Tyson said in an interview. "I think we are going to win."

The letter from the Alliance of Athletes and Entertainers also signals the industry's desire for reforms that would allow state-legal marijuana businesses access to the same banking and financial services as other traditional markets.

“State-legal cannabis operators, including many of us, have been unfairly denied banking services despite fully complying with state law,” the letter states. “Even though these businesses operate legally in 40 states, employ more than 450,000 Americans, and generate more than $35 billion in revenue each year, they continue to be unfairly targeted in their access to banking services, and their employees struggle to obtain mortgages from traditional lenders.”

Additionally, cannabis businesses are unable to take standard business deductions, resulting in effective tax rates that often exceed 85%. In fact, while foreign cannabis companies benefit from listing on U.S. exchanges like the NYSE and NASDAQ, domestic cannabis operators are unfairly excluded. We fully support the President’s pledge to “work with Congress to pass common-sense laws, including safe banking, to ensure fair economic opportunity and equal access to financial services for all American businesses.”

Other signatories to the letter include the NBA's Steven Jackson, Chris Webber, J.R. Smith, John Salley and Al Harrington, and the NFL's Jim McMahon, Kyle Turley, Champ Bailey, Marvin Washington and Tony Richardson. Boxers Paul Williams and Keith Thurmon, as well as broadcaster Adin Ross, also signed the letter.

A few days ago, Trump's first choice for attorney general in the current administration, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, reiterated his support for reclassifying marijuana - he suggested in an interview with a Florida Republican lawmaker that the Republican Party could win more votes from young people by supporting marijuana reform.

Regarding the reclassification of marijuana, President Trump did support the policy change during his campaign. But he has remained publicly silent on it since taking office. Gates said last month that Trump's support for reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III substance was essentially an effort to consolidate support among young voters, rather than a true reflection of his personal views on marijuana.

A poll released in April by Trump's Republican polling agency showed that most Republicans support various marijuana reforms, including reclassifying the approval time for marijuana. It is worth noting that compared with ordinary voters, they are more supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without interference from the federal government.

With the marijuana reclassification process left over from the previous administration at a standstill, congressional researchers recently reiterated that if lawmakers wanted, they could enact reforms on their own with "greater speed and flexibility" while avoiding judicial challenges.

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