As lawmakers continue to push towards legalization of cannabis products, more groups are trying to demonstrate the benefits of them as well. On Nov. 12, President Joe Biden announced his choice of commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, this commissioner nominee, Robert Califf, has already shown his support for medical marijuana in the past, meaning that the path towards legalization might be a little easier.

Nominee Califf Details

Robert Califf, the new nominee to the position, previously worked for a short time as the FDA head during the Obama administration. For the most part, Califf wasn’t a particularly vocal participant in the debates surrounding marijuana use. However, in 2016, he was in a federally hosted research summit on cannabis and admitted its therapeutic applications. He points out that “people have identified a number of possible uses of marijuana and marijuana-derived products,” before going on to describe these uses. He mentions ailments like AIDS wasting, epilepsy, and neuropathic pain as some of those that people can treat with marijuana. 

Califf also emphasized that the FDA is supportive of promoting both research and development. However, they had yet to have anyone demonstrate that the products are safe or effective as a part of treatment. He emphasized that this meant that scientists need to perform more studies to prove its use.

Worries About Nominee Califf

Some vaping stakeholders are worried that Califf’s nomination could cause problems for them. This is due to a 2019 op-ed that he wrote, which called for a ban on flavored vape products. They did this in order to mitigate the risks of the e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) crisis. At the time, Califf wrote how they needed to strictly regulate the harm caused by these products. However, he also mentioned that the outright prohibition of vape products was impracticable for a number of reasons.

Califf’s Potential

Regardless of what happens with vape products, Califf will still have a lot to deal with surrounding the idea of cannabis use. Specifically, they are going to reexamine the issues surrounding both CBD and Delta 8, and are planning to use Reddit and other sources to get a better understanding of the issues.

It is the hope of activists that this nomination will lead to comprehensive legalization.

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