A Group of Cannabis Industry Leaders and Chris Byrd, Former 2-Time Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Write an Open Letter to Trump Asking to Legalize and Deschedule Cannabis Prior to the Election

Windermere, FL – October 21, 2020

Legalizing cannabis might be the only thing the country can agree on according to a recent Pew Poll that cites 91% of Americans support legalization. Regardless of how you feel about Trump, a group of cannabis industry professionals has come together to urge Trump to legalize and decriminalize cannabis. If Trump were to legalize cannabis, he could win votes, ease the burden of regulation by the police, free up prosecution in the courts, cut red tape from the FDA, and help improve the wellness of all Americans trying to access the plant’s potential benefits.

The attached video is a short documentary film that compares the legality of cannabis to other legal substances. CBDPRO CEO, Dr. Barry Morrison, Diplomate of The Academy of Integrative Pain Management states, “I feel like it should be completely removed from being a scheduled drug, and should be treated like alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and even sugar.”

ExtracTech CEO, David Neisingh, spells out what is being asked of Trump: “We’re asking you to deschedule it, to decriminalize THC, to take CBD which is a natural product, out of the hands of the FDA, and call it a food product, not a drug…take it off The Control Substances Act … and to pull out of these very restrictive UN treaties.” Neisingh goes on to say that people might “put politics aside” because of this issue matters to so many across the political spectrum.

Dr. Pratha of the Integrative Gastroenterology in San Diego contributes to the argument for legalization: “It’s a safe drug, across the board …caffeine, alcohol – alcohol is sold without restriction. I think alcohol does far more damage than cannabis does … What I’ve seen so far makes me feel like this is a very valuable thing and it should not be caught up in the red tape and you now in all the mountains of regulation that are going to come into play the minute the FDA decides to take a stance to regulate its sale and usage. Because it would be a huge disservice to all the people who are benefiting from it.”

Farmer Jack Vessey of Vessey & Company, Inc., from the Imperial Valley in California, discusses the real life challenges, barriers, even financial harm that the various government regulatory agencies have caused hemp farmers by overregulation or lack of clarity of laws that cause confusion and stifle the industries ability to thrive.

Martin Smith of the Kentucky Hemp Farmers Association also speaks directly to Trump regarding the pain farmers have experienced: “There are people out there who have worked a lot of hard hours. There is 200 plus hours into every acre of hemp. And they’ve put a lot of their heart and soul into this crop and to this industry because the intent of Congress was to make this a commodity that is like corn and soybean.”

Then there is the comeback story of 2-time heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic Silver Medalist Chris Byrd, who at 50 years old is making a startling comeback after a difficult retirement plagued with pain caused by neuropathy, and his miraculous recovery, to which he credits cannabis and Tammie Thomas, of CBD Healthcare Solutions, for introducing it to him.

Tammie talks of Chris’ comeback by saying, “He is here today, 100% health back, and ready to come back to boxing and be an inspiration to the world, and to anyone out there that is suffering any kind of ailment. They can get better, do not give up.”

Speaking directly to Trump, Chris suggests that legalizing cannabis could save billions of dollars in healthcare costs, and millions of lives and that it saved his life: “They said it was bad to me … they lied to us. Big time. Cannabis heals. It heals the body. And it could heal the country also.”

In a scene near the end, a group of protestors and counter-protesters get together in the streets to share a joint and one of them says, “This is the most American I’ve ever seen in my life.” Another says, “Trump supporters, ANTIFA, liberals, conservatives, Democrats, doesn’t matter, we all shared some weed together.”

This film is both political and non-political and hopes to put on display the absurdity that prohibition has lasted over 80 years in this country and there is a golden opportunity for a political party or president to create a firm legacy by legalizing and freeing this plant.

Participants include Martin Smith, President of The Kentucky Hemp Farmers Association, CEO United Global Co-Opportunities and CEO International Farmaceutical Extracts, Jack Vessey of Vessey & Company, Inc., Dr. Pratha of the Integrative Gastroenterology in San Diego, Dr. Barry Morrison, CEO of CBDPRO and Diplomate of The Academy of Integrative Pain Management, Chris Byrd, former heavyweight boxing champion, Tammie Thomas, of CBD Healthcare Solutions, David Neisingh, CEO, ExtracTech, Belia Ganeau, Former Border Patrol Agent, Helen Palomino, CEO, Cancer Resource Center of The Desert, Jordan Page, Dreamweaver Farms, Kelly Gallagher, Executive Film Producer with Jammin Planet, and edited by Trevor Hill with BulKanna.

The film is co-produced by CBDPRO and BulKanna, which specializes in hemp farming, bulk supply and white label manufacturing of CBD and other nutritional supplement products.