President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s recent selection of physician and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz to oversee the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adds another pro-medical-marijuana voice to the forthcoming administration.<\/p>\n
While federal prohibition means the move is unlikely to have any immediate impact on cannabis availability for patients covered by the health assistance programs, Oz could nevertheless push for broader acceptance of the substance from the office, especially if marijuana is moved to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.<\/p>\n
In recent years, Dr. Oz has encouraged audiences to be open openness to therapeutic cannabis and advocated for sweeping policy changes around the drug.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ought to completely change our policy on marijuana. It absolutely works,\u201d he said in a 2020 interview, calling cannabis \u201cone of the most underused tools in America.\u201d<\/p>\n
In August of this year, he wrote in a syndicated health column that there\u2019s evidence cannabinoids can curb seizures, alleviate nausea associated with cancer treatment and potentially help manage pain<\/a>\u2014especially in older people.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your physician recommends it to manage pain, especially if you\u2019re 65 and older, give it a try,\u201d Oz wrote with co-author Michael Roizen, a doctor focused on aging.<\/p>\n At the same time, they cautioned that medical marijuana is \u201can evolving field with limited research.\u201d<\/p>\n I am honored to be nominated by @realDonaldTrump<\/a> to lead CMS. I look forward to serving my country to Make America Healthy Again under the leadership of HHS Secretary @RobertKennedyJr<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/aYIQJHG5Ej<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) November 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n In his earlier 2020 comments, Oz claimed that he\u2019d had conversations with officials at both the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who both told him the other agency was an obstacle to reform.<\/p>\n \u201cI called the DEA,\u201d he said. \u201cThey said, \u2018We don\u2019t want this to be illegal. Your government ought to change that. But we got to enforce the law.\u2019 I call the FDA that regulates the drugs. They say, \u2018We think it ought to be used, but until the DEA says it\u2019s allowed, we can\u2019t let people prescribe it everywhere.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Oz also said the time that he believes, particularly for seniors, that marijuana for pain represents a \u201csafer solution than, for example, narcotics in many cases.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen this helping people with sleep issues, with pain issues for sure, and a lot of people who have serious medical problems getting relief\u2014and here\u2019s the thing, you can\u2019t die from it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m unaware of any case when anyone has overdosed.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2017, Oz tweeted that \u201cmedical marijuana could help patients, & even have a major impact on the opiate crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n Medical marijuana could help patients, & even have a major impact on the opiate crisis. Be sure to join us tomorrow: https:\/\/t.co\/NG5RW7Rryy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) September 21, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Also that year, Oz led a petition calling on the National Institutes of Health to increase its support for marijuana research.<\/p>\n \u201cOutdated beliefs and policies have prevented our country from funding medical cannabis research but the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has reviewed other scientific research and found evidence that patients treated with cannabis or cannabinoids were more likely to experience a significant reduction in pain symptoms,\u201d he said at the time. \u201cYet the government still says cannabis has no proven medical value.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe National Institutes of Health (NIH), which funds much of our nation\u2019s medical research, allots only $111 million dollars to cannabis research. This sounds like a large number, but it represents a mere 0.3 percent of NIH\u2019s total spending on research and is only 0.1 percent of the cost of the opioid epidemic. This is a drop in the bucket for something that experts believe could have the potential to help in our fight against the number one killer of adults under 50. Studies already suggest that states with medical cannabis laws have a 25 percent lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate compared with states without medical cannabis laws.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are the facts you need to know about #MedicalMarijuana<\/a>. Please share, and support our @change<\/a> petition here: https:\/\/t.co\/ASJWKcBOdw<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wTyrBhvexR<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) September 22, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Despite his positive claims around medical marijuana in past years, Oz has generally opposed recreational use of marijuana. During his unsuccessful 2022 run for Senate against then-Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), Oz criticized his opponent for supporting marijuana legalization<\/a>. Appearing on Fox News, he made dismissive comments about the \u201cpot flag\u201d that Fetterman hung on the balcony\u00a0of his Capitol office<\/a> as he pushed for legalization in the Keystone State.<\/p>\n In his August column, Oz made various claims about the dangers of recreational marijuana use, saying it \u201ccan have lots of negative repercussions and that especially concerns us for young folks, who, now that pot is de-criminalized, may think they need it to get through the day.\u201d<\/p>\n He also peddled a dubious claim that smoking a cannabis joint \u201cproduces eight times as much lung- and brain-damaging particulate matter as one manufactured cigarette.\u201d And he said \u201cchronic use of cannabis is linked to respiratory issues and an increased risk for testicular cancer, anxiety and depression.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll of this means we need more standardized products and more studies of those products to determine risks and benefits,\u201d Oz and Roizen said.<\/p>\n Oz nevertheless has been consistently supportive of medical marijuana as a promising alternative to traditional medications.<\/p>\n In 2017, he asserted that marijuana could represent a tool to combat the opioid epidemic<\/a> and subsequently made other public comments about the plant\u2019s therapeutic potential<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping the federal government at some point\u2014someone\u2019s going to say, \u2018come on, this is a farce, open it up for the entire country,\u2019\u201d the doctor has said. \u201cThat way, the right people can begin to prescribe it.\u201d<\/p>\n Currently, none of the federal health programs that Oz will oversee cover the use of medical marijuana. As a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report earlier this year explained, substances in Schedule I cannot lawfully be prescribed by doctors<\/a>.<\/p>\n In order for that to change, the substance would need to be rescheduled, CRS said, and FDA would need to approve specific formulations for use.<\/p>\n \u201cIf marijuana were moved from Schedule I to Schedule III, it could in theory be dispensed and used by prescription for medical purposes,\u201d CRS said in a subsequent analysis<\/a>. \u201cHowever, prescription drugs must be approved by FDA. Although FDA has approved some drugs derived from or related to cannabis, marijuana itself is not an FDA-approved drug.\u201d<\/p>\n Several other people tapped by Trump to be top administration officials are broadly supportive of marijuana reform and could have more immediate effects on policy.<\/p>\n Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump\u2019s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will have the chance to advance major drug policy reforms he\u2019s championed<\/a> such as\u00a0promoting access to psychedelics therapy and reshaping federal marijuana laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kennedy followed a dizzying path to the Trump administration, entering the 2024 presidential election as a Democratic candidate before switching to independent as he lagged in the polls and then eventually endorsing the GOP nominee. Along that path, he stood out in part for his drug policy platform, which\u00a0involved legalizing and taxing certain psychedelics in addition to cannabis<\/a>.<\/p>\n If confirmed by the Senate or otherwise elevated to health and human services secretary via a recess appointment, Kennedy will be in a unique position of influence to follow up on those goals, commanding control of the nation\u2019s health apparatus that oversees FDA and other critical agencies.<\/p>\n Last month, Kennedy specifically criticized FDA over the agency\u2019s \u201csuppression of psychedelics\u201d and a laundry list of other issues that he said amounted to a \u201cwar on public health\u201d that would end under the Trump administration.<\/p>\n Kennedy has also been open about his own struggles with addiction during his youth and the lessons that he\u2019s taken away from his decades in recovery. While he said he\u2019s generally not one to recommend a drug to treat substance misuse, he\u2019s seen in his own family how psychedelics can facilitate the type of psychological healing needed for long-term recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cI would legalize psychedelic drugs\u2014some form of legalization,\u201d he said in June, adding that he didn\u2019t necessarily envision a commercial market where anyone could visit a shop to buy the substances but that there should be regulated access.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know about just buying them in stores. I have to look at all that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut in one way or another, we need to make it easy for people to use them in ways that could benefit our children and could benefit everybody. I\u2019ve seen it in my own family, the benefits of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, many marijuana industry stakeholders are optimistic about Trump\u2019s selection of Matt Gaetz, formerly a congressman for Florida, to be U.S. attorney general<\/a>. Well before Gaetz was even considered a potential candidate, he\u2019d already previewed his plans if he was chosen to lead the Department of Justice: \u201cGo easy on marijuana.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Gaetz, who resigned from his House after Trump tapped him for the nation\u2019s top law enforcement position<\/a>, was among the only GOP members of Congress who voted for a Democratic-led cannabis legalization bill. He did so twice, and he\u2019s also backed other more modest reforms such as marijuana industry banking access.<\/p>\n For marijuana stakeholders, Trump\u2019s choice of Gaetz is a welcome one in that it suggests state cannabis markets could continue to see a policy of non-interference from the federal government and that Biden administration\u2019s plans to reschedule marijuana would proceed despite the White House changeup.<\/p>\n Gaetz also said last year that he\u2019s concerned that if the federal government doesn\u2019t \u201cgo further\u201d than simply moving marijuana to a lower drug schedule,\u00a0large pharmaceutical companies might be able to overtake the cannabis industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n For now, Trump\u2019s selections of top officials are tentative. They must still be confirmed by the Senate or otherwise ascend to the job via recess appointments. Among what are widely seen as unconventional picks, both Kennedy and Gaetz could both face pushback from congressional lawmakers on their way to the new posts.<\/p>\n DEA Judge Issues Order Approving And Denying Witnesses For Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing And Laying Out Next Steps<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Dr. Oz Could Elevate Medical Marijuana Support As Trump\u2019s Medicare And Medicaid Director<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s recent selection of physician and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz to oversee the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adds another pro-medical-marijuana voice to the forthcoming administration. While federal prohibition means the move is unlikely to have any immediate impact on cannabis availability for patients covered byContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79126"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79126"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79127,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79126\/revisions\/79127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nRead More: Dr. Oz Could Elevate Medical Marijuana Support As Trump\u2019s Medicare And Medicaid Director<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"