Just about anyone can ask for a change to be made to the act, but whether or not the government will follow through on the findings is another story completely. History has taught us that even when findings were IN FAVOR of the legalization of marijuana that the United States government still made what they believed to be, was the popular vote by keeping marijuana and other drugs listed as Schedule 1 dangerous, claiming that their potential for abuse was large. The problem with this particular system is that it is the responsibility of the DEA to receive the petitions from concerned parties, and to conduct a full investigation into the drug and it’s uses and to try and discover if the current classification is in fact appropriate. The petitions can come from anyone and anywhere and that is also where the investigations can follow.

Once a thorough investigation has been completed the head of the DEA confers with the HHS to determine if their information reveals anything new about the drug in question and whether or not a re-classification is in order. Another way in which the DEA and other government agencies control the process and shipment of these controlled substances is by regulating everyone is authorized to handle them. They must all register themselves and information. There are checkpoints and check ins that must be met and constant inventories are done at highly regular intervals to guarantee that all numbers are complete and accurate as they’re checked by multiple pairs of eyes.