Trump’s historic shift in federal marijuana reschedulinghas shook the California liberal left cannabis communityto the core — and they’re now in a period of traumabonding and captor/abuser loyalty.

OG article by Travis Cullen.

December 25 2025

My name is Travis Cullen. When I was 21 in 2004, I got caught trafficking 700 pounds of

California marijuana. I was a first-time felon and I spent 8 years in federal prison for

cannabis.

I got arrested during the Bush JR administration. Back in 2004, the directive was simple:

charge the max. That was pushed by Attorney General John Ashcroft and then carried on by

Alberto Gonzales. And trust me — those directives mattered. They mattered a lot when the local

U.S. Attorney prosecuted my case. I ended up with 135 months and ultimately served 8 years.

Fast forward to January 20, 2009 — the day Obama got sworn in. I remember sitting in the TV

room in federal prison watching it live. The whole unit was filled with hope. I thought, this is it...

finally a liberal president... he’s gonna see the light and get us marijuana offenders out of federal prison.

During this time I would readf about medical dispensaries popping up everywhere, I truly

believed it was only a matter of months.

Well those months turned into years.

Obama did nothing for cannabis prisoners — and he had the power to do it. People can argue

feelings, I’m talking facts. My friend Michael. “Mickey” Woods got prosecuted and sentenced

to life in 2016 for a marijuana case only. So don’t tell me “the liberals had our back.” They

didn’t. Not when it mattered.

Trump gets elected for his first term and passes First Step Act (signed Dec 21, 2018)

the only relief to federal inmates in the last 30 years

Made the Fair Sentencing Act (crack/powder reforms) retroactive, letting thousands seek

sentence reductions.

Then we get President Biden — the guy I wanted to win.

But I just couldn’t get myself to walk into the voting booth and punch the card , I’ve never

forgotten what Biden helped build back in the 1994 crime bill — the mandatory minimums for

drug laws that swallowed people like me and thousands of others for marijuana cases.

And here’s the crazy part: in 2020, Biden actually gave the community real hope. When he told Cory Booker on the debate stage that people should be let out of jail — period — for marijuana, that statement hit the federal prison yards like a lightning bolt.

Cannabis prisoners heard it. Their families heard it.

The whole cannabis community heard it.

And what happened after Biden goy elected?

Nothing.

Except the 2,500 misdemeanor pardons — the fake cover-up pardon that let basically no one

out of prison.

Biden did try to reschedule marijuana , but it felt like a fake attempt late in his

term, and it didn’t deliver.

Now here comes December 18, 2025 — President Trump sets rescheduling in motion. I’ve

heard it was already submitted to the Justice Department. A historic, swift move. And the critics

came out immediately — even people from Trump’s own party saying it was ignorant, money,

politics, whatever.

But the other major heavy criticism came from the deschedule community — and in my eyes

that’s the liberal left california cannabis world. And look: I’m one of those people in principle.

Marijuana shouldn’t be scheduled at all. Marijuana is not dangerous.

Here’s my point:

When it started to feel like real change was happening — real good change in federal cannabis

policy — we started seeing people screaming “deschedule now!” in this half-hearted attempt to

derail progress and keep their status quo alive.

And what is that status quo?

We get arrested. We do the time.

Then they dangle the carrot of “maybe we’ll get you out” while they go to shows, raise money,

gain clout, and claim they represent prisoners... and the prisoners stay inside.

I’m liberal. I support Minnesota Democrats and I support Ilhan Omar. But I’m a cannabis

prisoner activist first, and I spent 8 years in federal prison. Prison teaches you one thing fast:

read the room.

“Sleepy Joe” tried and failed to reschedule in his third year. Trump is getting it done in the first

11 months. That is a massive shift. That’s the biggest move we’ve seen in federal cannabis policy

in 50 years. So yes:

Thank you, Mr. President.

And I’m going to quote Weldon Angelos because he said it right:

“President Trump’s decision to reschedule cannabis is a major first step toward ending

prohibition, and while more work remains, including clemency for those still incarcerated for

cannabis, this is a moment worth recognizing and celebrating.”

That’s exactly the messaging.

Not “deschedule or nothing.”

Not “this doesn’t count because Trump did it.”

Not a bunch of anti-Trump California politics wrapped around prisoners .

The message is simple:

This is a historic step. Now we demand clemency. Now we get our guys home.

Because I don’t care who gets credit.

I care who gets released.

And if your first instinct when progress happens is to attack it because the “wrong guy” did it —

you’re not leading a movement. You’re stuck in trauma bonding, captor loyalty, and a clout

economy that survives only if prisoners stay inside.

Clemency is the mission.

So stop playing games and start doing the job: get the cannabis prisoners home.