According to a federally-funded study, which examined public comments made during the official government consideration of this proposal, the Trump administration’s decision to reschedule cannabis is popular. However, most people are in favor of even more sweeping reforms.
Analysis of the 42 913 marijuana rescheduling submissions to the Drug Enforcement Administration shows that 28,9 percent of respondents supported moving cannabis to Schedule III as proposed under the Controlled Substances Act and that 63.5 wanted to further reschedule or deschedule the substance.
Only 6.7 per cent of commenters were against any reform, and wanted marijuana to remain in Schedule I. Schedule I is the strictest CSA category and should be reserved for substances that have no medical uses and a potential abuse.
The Department of Justice declared last week marijuana products covered by state-issued medical cannabis licenses, and marijuana products which have been approved by FDA (Food and Drug Administration), were immediately moved into Schedule III. The rescheduling will be discussed at an administrative hearing that is scheduled for this summer.
The majority of respondents to the study published by the Journal Addiction and Johns Hopkins University, who were authored researchers, believe that the Schedule III classification is inadequate. They support further rescheduling of marijuana or a complete de-scheduling.
The analysis of 42 913 public comments about cannabis rescheduling shows that the public is in favor of broader reforms, not just Schedule III.
After analyzing the comments with artificial intelligence, the team manually reviewed 200 of them and coded their meaning.
Researchers found that the therapeutic and economic benefits were the two most common reasons given for moving to Schedule III. Those who wanted more reforms cited criminal justice concerns.
The authors noted that “comments often highlighted the social justice implications of cannabis regulation, highlighting the need to deal with historical injustices, including disproportionate rates of incarceration in marginalized groups.”
Most public comments regarding the proposed DEA rule to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I into Schedule III were in favor of removing it from Schedule I. However, Schedule III seemed to be inadequate and many favored a smaller schedule or removal from controlled substances. Our analysis also reveals that public priority is addressing therapeutic requirements, promoting equity, and implementing safety measures based on evidence. This suggests that a reform of cannabis policies must strike a balance between public health and broader social goals such as accessibility and justice.
In a recent press release, study co-author John W. Ayers stated that “rescheduling” is an important first step. However, the American public has shown to want federal policies to be more aggressive.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded study, the fact that a majority of respondents want to take legalization further than the federal government is currently prepared to do “suggests there’s a disconnect” between the federal policies and the public expectations.
Johannes Thrul (coauthor and study co-author) said in a press release that many commenters had lived years with state legalized medical or adult drug use. Their expectation of federal policies reflects this reality.
The study revealed that opponents of change often cited concerns over public health, addiction, and youth use when making their comments.
Rescheduling does not legalize marijuana in the federal sense, but it has tax benefits for states that have legalized cannabis and can remove some research barriers.
In a press release, Ryan Vandrey, coauthor of the paper and its co-author stated that “public enthusiasm for cannabis use as medicine must be matched with federal and state investments in rigorous cannabis studies.”
Vijay M. Tiyyala is another study coauthor. He said, “Americans came with personal stories of therapy they found helpful, businesses that were built and the consequences of marijuana use.”
The Trump administration appears to have recognized the broad support of marijuana reform amongst Americans.
Karoline leavitt was the White House press secretary. She said in a statement last week, “If you look at public opinion polls on this subject, the issue is very popular with Americans.”
She said that the President was “willing to take the step” to implement this at the request of Americans, many of whom support the idea, as well as his own health advisers who were on his team.
Trump, himself, spoke last week at an Oval Office press conference about the benefits of medical marijuana.
“Many people have big problems. This seems like the best solution,” said he. They’re happy. The rescheduling has begun, which is a major thing.
He noted that the actions taken by his administration on cannabis redistribution were a result of Howard Kessler telling him how he had used medical marijuana.
“He was having some health issues, but he found out about this accidently,” said the man. He tried a number of medications before deciding that this was by far the best. He experienced it. “He didn’t gain anything from it except for the fact that he has a better life.”
Trump stated, “So I hope you won’t be needing it.” If you need it though, it is the best alternative I’ve heard.
Brian Shamblen is the photographer.