Five days ago the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) submitted in the Federal Register their proposal to move marijuana to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, launching a 60-day public comment period.
In those five days, there has already been over 5,000 comments submitted under Regulations.gov. A strong majority of these comments —over 3,500— are calling on the DEA to go even further by rescheduling marijuana altogether. A shockingly low 3% want marijuana to remain a Schedule I drug (aka retain the status quo).
The DEA’s proposal calls for marijuana to be reclassified from its current status as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to a Schedule III. This would mark the biggest change in federal marijuana policy since the CSA was established in 1970.
When the DEA published the proposal in the Federal Register on Tuesday, it officially began the 60-day public comment period, ending on July 22. After the public comment period, the DEA will review all submissions to assess public opinion. This process will culminate in a final hearing and the issuance of a final ruling.
All comments submitted to the DEA are a matter of public record and can be viewed by clicking here.
For a breakdown of the 10 largest implications of marijuana being moved to Schedule III, click here.
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