Your Voice Matters: Help Transfer Cannabis out of Schedule I
By Shawn Hauser
May 29, 2024
We are at a historic and critical moment for cannabis reform and need your help!
As you may already know, the DOJ and HHS/FDA have proposed rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III in a long overdue recognition of its medical value and lower abuse potential compared to Schedule I and Schedule II drugs like fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone.
However, the DEA will not make a final determination until it considers all evidence submitted on the record by the public during a 60-day notice and comment period. The federal record must contain strong evidence to support the HHS/DOJ conclusion that “cannabis has a currently accepted medical use” and that its abuse potential does not warrant placement as either a Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substance.
Knowing that our opponents are well-funded and highly activated to influence the DEA to keep cannabis in Schedule I—and that the DEA has long maintained a prohibitionist approach in classifying marijuana—we must ensure the success of this reclassification process by submitting solid medical and other evidence that we know supports reclassification. To get there, the 90 percent of Americans who acknowledge the medical use of cannabis need to activate and provide a robust public record during this process.
The DEA is accepting public comments until July 22, 2024 via the Federal eRulemaking Portal, so now is the time to take action and make your voice heard!
How Can You Help?
ACTION 1: Submit a Comment to the DEA
This is an important opportunity to provide impactful comments and evidence that will influence the success of this process! You can support cannabis reform by submitting a comment using this sample comment template. We are here to help you tailor your comment to include additional evidence so that it is most impactful. It is crucial that comments focus on cannabis’ currently accepted medical use and its relatively low abuse potential. For example, your experience will be particularly impactful to the success of this process if you:
- Are a medical marijuana business or medical practitioner treating patients in a state where it is legal
- Are a patient (or patient’s caregiver) in a legal state who can share experiences relating to treating chronic pain, anorexia, or nausea/vomiting reduction with cannabis, or cannabis being effective in replacing opioid or other substance use
- Are a researcher or medical expert with expertise in cannabis use and/or substance abuse
- Reside in a state where medical cannabis is legal, and you have witnessed the resulting positive public health outcomes
Read this helpful guide from SchedulingReform.org and then submit a comment via the Federal eRulemaking Portal.
Please contact us to discuss how additional information may support the effectiveness of your comment.
ACTION 2: Donate
The success of the rescheduling process depends significantly on the participation of qualified medical practitioners opining and submitting vital data on the medical use and relative safety of cannabis. In addition to making a public comment, you can donate to support the engagement of physicians who are critical to this process's success.
If you want to contribute to a safer, more scientifically grounded and thriving cannabis industry, consider donating to the non-profit S3 Collective. This organization is doing incredible work organizing top physicians and compiling critical medical studies. Your contributions are tax-deductible through this nonprofit organization, which is both created and operated by medical professionals. Donate here.
ACTION 3: Connect Vicente LLP to Your Medical Professionals
If you are a medical professional or a medical marijuana business that is connected to medical professionals who are willing to participate in this process, please contact us as soon as possible.
This is one of the most critical moments for cannabis reform in our lifetimes, and this process is mission-critical incremental progress toward fully ending prohibition. Thank you for joining us in the ongoing fight for reasonable cannabis regulation, and please let us know how we can support your work in national cannabis reform.