There’s now just one week remaining in the legally required 60-day public comment period regarding the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposal to reschedule marijuana.
The DEA published their proposal in the Federal Register on May 21, which officially launched the public comment period. There is now just seven days remaining before the comment period closes on July 22. All comments to the DEA are publicly accessible and can be viewed by clicking here, and those interested can submit their own comment by clicking here.
Currently there have been 30.5k comments submitted. An analysis of the submitted comments shows that over 50% want the DEA to fully deschedule marijuana. When you add those who call on the DEA to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, this jumps to above 70%. A shockingly low 8% of comments are urging the DEA to reject their own proposal plus any additional changes to instead keep marijuana as a Schedule I drug.
Marijuana has been a Schedule I drug since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted in 1970. This makes it illegal for all purposes. The DEA’s proposal to move marijuana to Schedule III would recognize its medical value and permit its compounds and medicines to be prescribed nationwide, once they receive regulatory approval. It would also offer federal protections to state-legal medical marijuana businesses and patients, including allowing licensed marijuana businesses to take IRS tax deductions.
Polling released in May found that two-thirds of voters in the United States support the move to reclassify marijuana.
