In the six days since the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) filed its proposal to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act, there has been over 6,000 comments submitted.
On May 21, the DEA submitted their proposal in the Federal Register, officially launching the legally required 60-day public comment period.
Since then, over 6,100 comments have been posted on Regulations.gov. A notable 67% of these comments, more than 4,100, advocate for the DEA to take further steps and entirely deschedule marijuana. Only a small fraction, 3%, wish to maintain its Schedule I classification.
This proposal, if enacted, would reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, marking the most significant federal policy change since the Controlled Substances Act was established in 1970. This change would permit the legal prescription of medicines made with marijuana and its compounds nationwide. Additionally, it would provide state-legal medical marijuana patients and businesses with numerous federal protections currently unavailable to them.
The publication of the proposal in the Federal Register last Tuesday triggered the 60-day comment period, concluding on July 22. After this period, the DEA will review all comments to gauge public sentiment before a final hearing and ruling.
All comments to the DEA are publicly accessible and can be viewed by clicking here.
