Back in April, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced plans to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). After the announcement, they opened up a public comment period for Americans to plead whether they think marijuana should or should not be rescheduled.
That public comment period has finally come to a close, which garnered an impressive 42,000 comments, according to a data report from Headset & Poseidon. That’s roughly equivalent to the entire population of Juneau, the capital city of Alaska. It’s as if every resident of a small state capital took the time to voice their opinion on this crucial issue.
Overwhelming Support for Marijuana Rescheduling
Headset & Poseidon’s data analysis of these comments revealed an overwhelming tide of support for changing cannabis’s current status under federal law:
- 92.45% of comments were in favor of changing cannabis’s schedule
- Only 7.55% were against any change
Among only those supporting a change:
- 61.7% advocated for complete descheduling of cannabis
- 38.3% supported rescheduling to a less restrictive category
Overall, 9 out of 10 individuals who took the time to comment believe that cannabis should not remain a Schedule I substance. The majority of commenters went beyond the proposed rescheduling to Schedule III, arguing for complete removal from the controlled substances list, according to the report.
What Happens Next?
Department of Justice (DOJ) officials said they’ll take all public comments submitted by the deadline into consideration as they weigh the reform, but Marijuana Moment states that they’re especially interested in hearing about the “unique economic impacts” of rescheduling, noting that state-level legalization has created a “multibillion dollar industry” that stands to benefit from possible federal tax relief under the reform.
Now that the comment period is closed, there may be an administrative hearing to receive additional input before the rule is potentially finalized and formally adopted.
