A new federally funded study finds that while the Trump administration's marijuana rescheduling proposal is broadly supported, most Americans want the federal government to go further.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the University of California San Diego analyzed 42,913 comments submitted to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) during its rescheduling review, publishing their results in the journal Addiction. Of those comments, 28.9 percent backed moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, 63.5 percent called for further rescheduling or complete descheduling, and 6.7 percent wanted to keep marijuana in Schedule I.
The Department of Justice announced last week that marijuana products regulated under a state medical cannabis license, and any FDA-approved marijuana products, immediately moved to Schedule III. A broader administrative hearing is set for this summer.
The team used artificial intelligence to analyze the comments, then manually reviewed and coded 200 submissions. Among those directly examined, supporters of Schedule III most often cited therapeutic benefits and economic impacts; those pushing for broader reform most often cited criminal justice concerns, including disproportionate incarceration in marginalized communities.
"Rescheduling is a meaningful first step, but the public record shows Americans want federal policy to go even further," coauthor John W. Ayers said in a press release. The study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, links the gap between public expectations and federal proposals to state-level legalization. "Many commenters have lived under state legalization for medical or adult use for years already," coauthor Johannes Thrul said. "Their expectation of federal policy reflects that reality."
Opponents cited public health risks, addiction, and underage use. Rescheduling does not broadly legalize marijuana under federal law but carries tax benefits for state-legal cannabis businesses and eases research restrictions. Coauthor Ryan Vandrey called for federal and state investment in rigorous cannabis research to match public enthusiasm for cannabis as medicine.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that "if you do look at the public polling on this issue, it is overwhelmingly popular with the vast majority of Americans." At an Oval Office event, President Trump cited the experience of his friend Howard Kessler, who used medical marijuana after trying other medications, as influencing his decision. "So the rescheduling is starting, and that's a big thing, rescheduling," Trump said.
