Unprecedented Support for Cannabis Scheduling Reform Revealed by Data from the DEA Comment Period

If there is one thing Americans can agree on, it is their overwhelming support for changing federal cannabis laws. The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) comment period on the proposed rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III has concluded, revealing an overwhelming tide of public support for the move. With over 42,000 comments submitted, the response was not only substantial but also decisively in favor of rescheduling.

Background

In October 2022, President Biden made a groundbreaking announcement regarding marijuana reform:

"As I often said during my campaign for President, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit... Today, I am announcing three steps that I am taking to end this failed approach... Third, I am asking the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law."