White House Seeks Public’s Comments on Rescheduling Cannabis

Americans are being asked to submit public comments to assist the government in determining its position regarding marijuana in the event that it’s reclassified globally. Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) publicly suggested rescheduling cannabis.

Now the FDA wants to know what Americans think regarding the WHO’s recommendations, Forbes reports. The acting associate commissioner for policy at the FDA, Lowell J. Schiller, published the notice on the Federal Register on March 1.

“The comments received in response to this notice will be considered in preparing the United States’ position on these proposals for a meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, Austria,” part of the filing says.

A vote on rescheduling marijuana internationally could happen this month.

Recently, the WHO said, “The evidence presented to the Committee did not indicate that cannabis plant and cannabis resin were particularly liable to produce ill-effects similar to the effects of the other substances in Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs… In addition, preparations of cannabis have shown therapeutic potential for treatment of pain and other medical conditions such as epilepsy and spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis.”

Public comments will be accepted until March 14. Those interested in voicing their opinions can do so on the Regulations.gov notice webpage.  If the WHO delays its vote, the period for public comment will be reopened.