In the two weeks since the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) filed its plan in the Federal Register to reschedule marijuana, public engagement has surged, resulting in over 11,000 comments submitted.
Upon the DEA’s submission of its proposal on May 21, a 60-day public comment period was officially initiated, set to conclude on July 22. In the following 15 days, 11,100 comments have been submitted, averaging nearly 800 each day.
Approximately 60% of these comments support further action to completely deschedule marijuana. Less than 5% of the total comments are urging the DEA to keep marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning it would remain illegal for all purposes under all circumstances.
If implemented, the DEA’s proposal would shift marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. This reclassification would allow for the legal prescription of medications containing marijuana and its compounds across the country, once they receive FDA approval. It would also provide state-legal medical marijuana patients and businesses with federal protections that are currently not available to them.
Recently a DEA official told us that a finalized ruling is on track to be issued “by the end of September, but as soon as the end of August.”
All comments to the DEA are publicly accessible and can be viewed by clicking here. You can submit your own comments to the DEA by clicking here.
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