Susan Duggan

Federal health officials say that want to warn people about the risks of using marijuana, but prohibition prevents them from using a basic tool—warning labels on products—to achieve that. Hours after the surgeon general issued an advisory expressing concern about cannabis use among adolescents and pregnant women , Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar discussed the announcement in an interview with Fox Business News. “What we’re doing is making sure that adolescents, that pregnant women and the doctors and teachers and parents who care for them are aware of the grave risks to them of marijuana use,” he said. . @SecAzar joined @Varneyco to discuss today’s @Surgeon_General Advisory on the dangers of #marijuana to the developing brain: https://t.co/tqyHp3yfPg — HHS Public Affairs (@SpoxHHS) August 29, 2019 “Is that warning labels?” the host asked, referring to a regulatory instrument that’s been used to warn people about the dangers of using tobacco products fo...

FRIDAY, Aug. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The number of people who’ve developed a severe form of lung disease potentially tied to vaping has now risen to 215 cases across 25 states, and federal health officials are recommending that Americans not use e-cigarettes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a health advisory saying, “if you are concerned about these specific health risks, consider refraining from the use of e-cigarette products.” As of Aug. 27, 215 possible cases have been reported — but other reported cases are also under investigation, the CDC noted. Last week marked the first fatality tied to these lung crises: An adult in Illinois died after being hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness after using an e-cigarette. “In many cases, patients reported a gradual start of symptoms, including breathing difficulty, shortness of breath, and/or chest pain before hospitalization,” the CDC explained in the advisory issued Friday. “Some cases...

It’s back-to-school season, and as college students get ready to move into their dorms, some might be wondering about campus culture—including whether their school is marijuana friendly. The Princeton Review is here to help. Besides ranking colleges overall each year, it also includes breakout sections offering ratings on a wide range of college features. For this year’s issue, the review guide looked at the top 20 universities where students use cannabis the most and least. To compile the list, released earlier this week, Princeton Review asked 140,000 students at 385 schools a simple question: “How widely is marijuana used at your school?” The results, for the most part, aren’t especially shocking. In general, marijuana is consumed most frequently at colleges located in states with looser cannabis laws, or more libertarian climates. Students are least likely to consume cannabis, according to the rankings, if they attend religious or military schools, or if the campuses are locat...

The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on Thursday that warns about the risks of using marijuana, particularly for pregnant women and adolescents. But it also contains misleading statements about the cannabis legalization movement. The advisory, the publication of which will be partially funded by a $100,000 donation out of President Donald Trump’s salary, states that no amount of cannabis is safe and emphasizes that THC potency of marijuana products has increased, which Surgeon General Jerome Adams claimed puts consumers at risk of “physical dependence, addiction, and other negative consequences.” LIVE: Join @SecAzar and @Surgeon_General Jerome Adams for a press conference on a Surgeon General Advisory. https://t.co/2FeaeIMcGV — HHS.gov (@HHSGov) August 29, 2019 “There is a false perception that marijuana is not as harmful as other drugs,” Adams said in a press release. “I want to be very clear—no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is known to be sa...

The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on Thursday that warns about the risks of using marijuana, particularly for pregnant women and adolescents. But it also contains misleading statements about the cannabis legalization movement. The advisory, the publication of which will be partially funded by a $100,000 donation out of President Donald Trump’s salary, states that no amount of cannabis is safe and emphasizes that THC potency of marijuana products has increased, which Surgeon General Jerome Adams claimed puts consumers at risk of “physical dependence, addiction, and other negative consequences.” LIVE: Join @SecAzar and @Surgeon_General Jerome Adams for a press conference on a Surgeon General Advisory. https://t.co/2FeaeIMcGV — HHS.gov (@HHSGov) August 29, 2019 “There is a false perception that marijuana is not as harmful as other drugs,” Adams said in a press release. “I want to be very clear—no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is known to be sa...

The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on Thursday that warns about the risks of using marijuana, particularly for pregnant women and adolescents. But it also contains misleading statements about the cannabis legalization movement. The advisory, the publication of which will be partially funded by a $100,000 donation out of President Donald Trump’s salary, states that no amount of cannabis is safe and emphasizes that THC potency of marijuana products has increased, which Surgeon General Jerome Adams claimed puts consumers at risk of “physical dependence, addiction, and other negative consequences.” LIVE: Join @SecAzar and @Surgeon_General Jerome Adams for a press conference on a Surgeon General Advisory. https://t.co/2FeaeIMcGV — HHS.gov (@HHSGov) August 29, 2019 “There is a false perception that marijuana is not as harmful as other drugs,” Adams said in a press release. “I want to be very clear—no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is known to be sa...

The president of a major GOP super PAC is suggesting that sponsoring marijuana legislation will be an asset in Republican Sen. Cory Gardner’s fight to retain his vulnerable Colorado seat in the 2020 elections. But while the senator’s embrace of cannabis reform has earned him bipartisan praise, he still faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled chamber to actually score a legislative win on the cannabis front to bring home to voters before next November. “Cory Gardner is a tremendously facile politician. He gets a lot of bipartisan legislation pushed through,” Senate Leadership Fund President Steven Law, who previously served as chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), said on C-SPAN’s Newsmakers last week. “Because of where Colorado is on legalization of marijuana, he’s fighting for a states’ rights solution there that protects his state’s interests.” “Again, I think good politicians, good senators, figure out what matters in the state, what they...

A former Republican congressman announced on August 25, 2019 that he’s mounting a primary challenge against President Donald Trump, and he’s fully on board with legalizing marijuana. Joe Walsh, who represented Illinois in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2013, has repeatedly condemned cannabis prohibition. His social media feeds contain multiple comments supporting reform, signaling that the issue could be prominently featured in his campaign. Here’s a comprehensive look at where Walsh stands on marijuana. Legislation And Policy Actions While Walsh didn’t proactively sponsor or cosponsor cannabis legislation during his one term in Congress, he did vote in favor of a 2012 floor amendment to protect states with medical cannabis programs from federal intervention. He was one of just 28 Republicans to support the measure. Quotes And Social Media Posts There are two platforms through which Walsh has made abundantly clear that he supports marijuana reform: social media and his radio show....