“Every hour an officer spends on a simple marijuana case is an hour not spent investigating violent crime, stopping human trafficking, or getting fentanyl off the streets.”
By Gary Wiegert, former St. Louis police sergeant via Missouri Independent
I dedicated decades of my life to helping keep St. Louis safe.
As a former cop, I know how hard it is to do that with limited resources—we can’t be everywhere at once or prevent every crime. How we prioritize our time and resources matters. That’s why many police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors across the country support President Donald Trump’s decision to change how cannabis is classified.
For over 50 years, marijuana has been listed as a Schedule I drug, the same category as heroin. That classification means the federal government considers it to have no medical value and a high potential for abuse.
But everyone knows that’s simply not true anymore, including cops who have been forced to navigate conflicting federal, state and local laws. Millions of Americans use it legally under state law every single day because 38 states have legalized cannabis in some form.
This disconnect between federal and state law isn’t just a technicality. It creates real problems for law enforcement.
Every hour an officer spends on a simple marijuana case is an hour not spent investigating violent crime, stopping human trafficking, or getting fentanyl off the streets.
Consider these stats from the Law Enforcement Action Partnership: “Of the 11.8 million arrests in the United States for drug-related offenses since 2011, over 80 percent involved simple possession. Arrests for simple possession of cannabis comprise approximately 35 percent of all drug arrests and 44 percent of drug possession arrests. An astounding 16.5 percent of all arrests in the United States since 2011 were for simple possession of cannabis.”
Does that really seem like the best use of cops’ time? Wouldn’t you rather have law enforcement focusing on real threats from violent crime and drugs like fentanyl? Rescheduling would help both federal and state law enforcement work together on priority threats that genuinely harm our communities, including illegal grow operations run by criminal enterprises.
Here’s what we’re seeing on the ground: when you have conflicting federal and state laws, you create space for criminals to operate. Unlicensed cannabis operations—some tied to organized crime—are popping up in states like California and Oklahoma. These outfits don’t follow any safety standards, don’t pay taxes and don’t care about keeping products away from kids.
Legal, regulated cannabis businesses struggle to compete when they’re hit with crushing federal tax burdens while illegal operators face no oversight at all. Under current law, state-legal cannabis companies can’t deduct normal business expenses on their federal taxes, something every other legitimate business can do. This puts them at a massive disadvantage and pushes consumers toward the unregulated market we’re trying to shut down.
Moving cannabis to Schedule III—the category for substances with accepted medical use and lower abuse potential—would let legal businesses operate fairly, which means more resources for regulation and enforcement where it actually matters.
We’re not talking about legalizing marijuana at the federal level. Schedule III substances are still controlled. But the change would acknowledge what doctors, researchers and patients already know: cannabis has legitimate medical uses and shouldn’t be treated like heroin or other dangerous Schedule I drugs.
For many people in law enforcement, this isn’t just about public safety. This issue hits close to home for many cops, particularly those who have served our country in the military. Research shows that rates of PTSD among police officers and other first responders can be as much as five times greater than the general population.
Cannabis-based treatments could help, but current federal restrictions make access difficult—especially for active-duty military and federal employees. Rescheduling wouldn’t solve all these problems overnight, but it’s a necessary step toward sensible policy that serves both public safety and the people who dedicate their lives to protecting others.
Supporting cannabis rescheduling isn’t about being pro-marijuana or anti-marijuana. It’s about recognizing that our current approach isn’t working. The federal-state conflict undermines law enforcement effectiveness, props up criminal markets and prevents us from focusing resources where they’re needed most. That’s why Law Enforcement Action Partnership and Law Enforcement Leaders both officially support rescheduling.
We can regulate cannabis responsibly, just like we regulate alcohol and prescription medications. We can research its effects and uses scientifically. We can create clear standards and oversight. And we can do all of this while keeping communities safe—probably safer than they are now.
After years of enforcing marijuana prohibition, many of us in law enforcement have reached the same conclusion: it’s time for federal policy to catch up with reality. Rescheduling to Schedule III is a practical, evidence-based step that will make our jobs easier and our communities safer.
That’s not politics. That’s just good policing.
Gary Wiegert was a sergeant with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department from 1980 to 2015.
This piece was first published by Missouri Independent.
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