Yesterday, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
near-noticed a hearing for its marijuana rescheduling proposal. The
hearing would begin on December 2, 2024 at 9 a.m. ET, and may span
multiple days or even weeks. The announcement came via an
unpublished “notice of hearing on proposed rulemaking”
(NOH).
The final NOH is set for publication this Thursday, August 29.
However, nothing should change between now and then. This means
that we finally know with certainty that if marijuana rescheduling
happens, it won't be until after the November elections.
Below are some thoughts on the latest development, in Q&A
format.
Did you tell us so?
Yes, we told you so. Back in March, when DEA agreed to initiate
rulemaking to reschedule marijuana, I wrote that “I doubt cannabis will
be on Schedule III by November.” More recently, during the
open comment period, I again stated that “you can expect
this process to be ongoing at the time of the November
elections.”
