It’s now the halfway point for the public comment period on the DEA’s marijuana rescheduling proposal, which began on May 21 and ends on July 22.
Approximately 24,000 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, while also providing federal protections to medical marijuana patients and businesses following state law.
Of the nearly 24,000 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.
According to a DEA official, marijuana is on track to be officially rescheduled by October.
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