The public hearing for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposal to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I, to Schedule III, will take place in exactly two months, on December 2.
“This is notice that the Drug Enforcement Administration will hold a hearing with respect to the proposed rescheduling of marijuana into schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act”, states the notice, which was published in the Federal Register in August. “The proposed rescheduling of marijuana was initially proposed in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2024.”
The notice says “Interested persons desiring to participate in this hearing must provide written notice of desired participation as set out below, on or before September 30, 2024. The hearing will commence on December 2, 2024, at 9 a.m. ET at 700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202.”
The agency says the hearing “may be moved to a different place and may be continued from day to day or recessed to a later date without notice other than announcement thereof by the presiding officer at the hearing.”
The hearing comes after a 60-day public comment period during which more than 40,000 comments were received, with over 90% supporting the reclassification or full descheduling of marijuana. After the hearing concludes, the DEA will publish a final ruling in the Federal Register, which will specify an official enactment date if they choose to proceed with rescheduling.
Recently the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the nation’s oldest marijuana advocacy group focused on legalizing marijuana and reforming cannabis laws in the United States (founded in 1970), filed a Notice of Appearance and Notice of Intent to Participate in the hearing, saying their “representation of its members and millions of other cannabis consumers, combined with its historical involvement and expertise, makes it uniquely positioned to provide essential testimony in this administrative hearing”.
