In a move that does not bode well for the active marijuana legalization community, Senator Elizabeth Warren was apparently ignored when she tried to inquire to the newly-appointed Health Secretary about the efficacy of marijuana as a medical treatment.
The new Head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Tom Price was sworn into office this morning.
Apparently, in a list of many questions posed by sitting Senators to the nominee Price, Senator Warren’s question concerning medical cannabis and the possibility of rescheduling the drug from Schedule 1 was completely ignored by the nominee.
Senator Warren reached out to Price about his marijuana views in particular because she knew that he would likely be teaming up with new Attorney General Jeff Sessions. As she suspected, learning about his interests when it comes to medical use of cannabis is an important benchmark for the health leader – unfortunately, he was able to get away with skipping the questions and still being easily confirmed.
Now, we are faced with a Department of Health leader who has offered no information about his beliefs when it comes to an illegal substance that has the capability of doing so much good.
What we do know is that Price has repeatedly voted on the House floor in order to block amendments that might provide states who have legalized cannabis with protections against the federal government.
Warren is not considered by most to be the face of marijuana legalization, but it appears that she may soon earn that title if she continues to advocate for these issues as strongly as she has some others.
