Most Americans support the federal government’s reclassification of medical cannabis, according to a ANALYSIS of more than 40,000 comments on public records about federal proposals by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of California San Diego.

In response to a 2024 proposal by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reschedule cannabis, 42,913 comments were submitted on the docket, which is part of the federal e-regulatory process and how the public can engage with the proposed regulations. It marked the largest amount of public input to date on federal cannabis policy.

The researchers took every comment posted on the e-rulemaking portal during the 63-day comment window and analyzed them through a large open-source language model, which was then validated against human review. The team found that 63.5% of commenters also supported further reforms, 28.9% supported the reclassification of Schedule III as proposed, while only 6.7% opposed any changes.

An overwhelming majority – 92.4% – wanted cannabis removed from Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act.

Nearly 57% of supporters cited the therapeutic benefits most often, while 27.8% noted the economic impacts on the cannabis industry and state revenues, with 24.4% also expressing the need for clearer federal regulation to ensure public safety.

The Trump administration on April 24 moved Food and Drug-approved cannabis products sold under qualifying state medical cannabis licenses from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, while also setting a new administrative hearing on June 29, 2026 to restart and expedite the broader DEA reprogramming process.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe (R) last week signed into law the Intoxicating Cannabinoid Control Act. In a statement, the governor said “the legislation ensures that Missourians know that products sold in their communities are safe, regulated and kept out of the reach of children.”

“For too long, bad actors have exploited loopholes to market intoxicating products — including candy-like candy or similar products — without meaningful oversight or accountability.” – Kehoe, in one press release

The bill aligns the state definition of hemp with the new federal definition, bringing the regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoid products under existing cannabis regulations.

President Donald Trump (R) on Nov signed an expense bill which included new federal regulations on hemp products that effectively criminalize hemp-derived THC and redefine hemp as “grown for the use of the whole grain, oil, cake, nut, husk, or any other non-cannabinoid compound, derivative, mixture, preparation or manufacture of the seed” and “grown for the purpose of human consumption or other products made from its flesh.” an immature hemp plant grown from seeds that do not exceed” 0.3% THC. The new regime will take effect this November.

Missouri law requires unlicensed entities to cease manufacturing or selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products.

The bill also prohibits cannabis distributors or other authorized parties from keeping records or sharing identifying information of regulated consumers of cannabis products, unless the consumer consents to the creation or retention of records in writing.