A new study in the journal Addiction shows that opposition to the United States’ proposed cannabis rescheduling was very low among the public comments submitted to Regulations.gov. At the same time, a clear majority said the proposal did not go far enough.
The study, Characterizing public comments via Regulations.gov in response to proposed cannabis rescheduling in the United States, was published on April 24, 2026, and analyzed 42,913 public comments submitted between May 21 and July 22, 2024. The comments concerned the DEA’s proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Cannabis.se also submitted a comment
Cannabis.se did, of course, submit its own response in the process. The comment emphasized that federal cannabis rescheduling in the United States could have international significance, including for countries such as Sweden with a strict zero-tolerance approach.
The comment read:
“Rescheduling cannabis in U.S. federal law is crucial, as it would influence global drug policies, including Sweden’s stringent zero-tolerance laws. The U.S. has historically set the tone for international drug control, and a shift in its stance could catalyze reform worldwide, promoting harm reduction and more humane approaches. In Sweden, key figures like Peter Moilanen (NPC), Jessica Vikberg (RNS), Per Johansson (RNS), Jonas Hartelius (Carnegie Institutet), Lennart Karlsson (SNPF), Nils Bejerot (RNS), and Pierre Andersson (IOGT) have long opposed such changes. For them, rescheduling represents a threat to the current policies. However, U.S. reform could provide the impetus needed to challenge and potentially transform these entrenched views, ultimately aiding in the end of the war on drugs in Sweden.
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DEA-2024-0059-36218
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The majority wanted to go further than Schedule III
The researchers found that 28.85 percent of the comments supported the Schedule III proposal, while only 6.74 percent opposed it. The largest group, 63.50 percent, considered the proposal insufficient and instead supported further rescheduling or complete descheduling of cannabis from the federal scheduling system.
The analysis was conducted using a combination of manual coding and automated language model analysis. The researchers first had several independent reviewers assess a random sample of 200 comments. The full dataset was then classified using an open-source Large Language Model, validated against the manual assessments. Agreement between humans and the model was reported at 88 percent, with an F1 score of 0.86.
Medical, economic and legal arguments dominated
Among the comments supporting rescheduling, therapeutic benefits were the most common argument. 56.7 percent of the manually reviewed supportive comments highlighted medical value, while 27.8 percent referred to economic effects.
Among those who said Schedule III was not enough, therapeutic benefits were also a central argument, followed by economic reasons and criminal justice reform. In that group, 37.8 percent mentioned therapeutic benefits, 28.6 percent economic impacts and 26.5 percent criminal justice reform.
Opposition was small but thematically clear. In the reviewed comments opposing the proposal, all referred to public health risks. Concerns about addictiveness and underage use were also recurring arguments.
Strong public pressure for federal reform
The researchers conclude that the comments on Regulations.gov show broad support for federal cannabis reform in the United States, but also that many engaged citizens see Schedule III as an intermediate step rather than an endpoint.
The background is that the DEA’s proposal from May 21, 2024, sought to move cannabis from Schedule I, the most restrictive federal category, to Schedule III. The Federal Register described the proposal as a change under the Controlled Substances Act, inviting the public to submit written comments.
Developments in the United States are closely watched internationally. U.S. drug policy has long influenced global drug policy norms, and a federal shift could therefore matter far beyond the country’s borders.
Sources
Study: Just 6.7% Oppose Marijuana Rescheduling, But 63.5% Say It Doesn’t Go Far Enough
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