In just two days, over 3,000 comments have been submitted on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) plan to reschedule marijuana.
The DEA’s proposal in the Federal Register calls for marijuana to be reclassified from its current status as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to a Schedule III. This would mark the biggest change in federal marijuana policy since the CSA was established in 1970.
When the DEA published the proposal in the Federal Register on Tuesday, it officially began the 60-day public comment period, ending July 22. In the two days since publication, there have been 3,100 comments. A strong majority of these comments — over 2,000 in total — call on the DEA to not just reschedule marijuana, but to deschedule it altogether. Hundreds of additional comments don’t specifically mention descheduling but do call for marijuana to be legalized.
At the time of publication, less than 5% of the total comments urge the DEA to keep marijuana as a Schedule I drug.
Following the public comment period, the DEA will review all submissions to assess public opinion. This process will culminate in a final hearing and the issuance of a final ruling.
All comments submitted to the DEA are a matter of public record and can be viewed by clicking here.
For a breakdown of the 10 largest implications of marijuana being moved to Schedule III, click here.
