Trump CDC Boss Calls Cannabis “Gateway Drug”

The Trump 2.0 administration — to the chagrin of some who cast their votes for the convicted felon — apparently will be no friend to the cannabis community. His choice to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.). The CDC, which historically plays a small role in issues surrounding cannabis, will be led by a right-wing physician opposed to rescheduling and legalizing the plant. Weldon even doubts that weed has any medical efficacy. Given the oft-demonstrated MAGA propensity for not following precedent and for breaking rules, Trump’s choice could pose serious threats to cannabis consumers, to small businesses, and to patients using the plant under a doctor’s prescription.

From Marijuana Moment:

During his time in Congress from 1995 to 2009, Weldon voted five times against spending amendments to protect state medical cannabis programs from Justice Department intervention.

He also voted for a 1997 resolution expressing opposition to medical marijuana legalization that stated “the consequences of illegal use of Schedule I drugs are well documented, particularly with regard to physical health, highway safety, and criminal activity.” …

Weldon’s views on the issue came into sharper focus during a House Government Reform subcommittee hearing in 2001, when he said it was “virtually lunacy” to believe cannabis has medical value, accusing advocates of being part of a “veiled attempt to legalize another substance for abuse,” including by using cancer and AIDS patients as a “prop” in their agenda. …

Weldon also peddled the gateway drug theory, while acknowledging that it’s “very hard to scientifically prove that marijuana leads to heroin.”

If in 2024, concerns about “gateway drugs” are back, it’s a sign to be vigilant and ready to defend one’s rights. And it’s a bitter poison for red- hatted tokers and patients who voted this threat into power.

Resist.

Read Kyle Jaeger’s article at Marijuana Moment.