Americans support cannabis rescheduling, study finds
A new study analyzed over 42,913 public comments on the DEA's proposal to reschedule marijuana and found that 63.5% of commenters supported further reform beyond the proposed Schedule III classification. The study used artificial intelligence to analyze the comments, which cited therapeutic benefits, economic impacts, and the need for clearer federal regulation as key reasons for their support.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of California San Diego analyzed 42,913 public comments on the DEA's 2024 proposal to reschedule marijuana. The comments were submitted during a 63-day comment window and were analyzed using an open-source large language model. Most commenters, 63.5%, supported further reform beyond the proposed Schedule III classification, while 28.9% supported Schedule III as proposed. Supporters cited therapeutic benefits, economic impacts, and the need for clearer federal regulation. The study found that almost all commenters, 92.4%, wanted cannabis off Schedule I. Rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III will expand the type of research that can be conducted on the health effects of cannabis use.
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