It’s been nearly a month since the DEA officially submitted their marijuana rescheduling proposal in the Federal Register, launching a 60-day public comment period.
With the halfway point just a week away, approximately 18,000 comments have been submitted on the DEA’s proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. This change would make marijuana’s compounds eligible for prescription nationwide once they receive regulatory approval.
Of the nearly 18,000 comments submitted, just over half advocate for the DEA to deschedule marijuana entirely, rather than simply rescheduling it. The roughly 51% in favor of descheduling has remained consistent since before the 10,000-comment mark.
Descheduling marijuana is also supported by a considerable number of congressmembers and senators. The MORE Act currently has 89 sponsors in the US House of Representatives, and the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act has 18 sponsors in the Senate.
Currently, only 6.5% of the comments are asking the DEA to keep marijuana as a Schedule I drug, indicating that the vast majority want some form of change from the status quo.
The 60-day public comment period officially ends on July 22. 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.
