Opinion: Howard Husuck senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute writes in the NY Daily News, “We need a surgeon general cancer warning on pot”

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What is Husuck saying?

But he has been disappointingly silent on a looming public health threat on which a strong statement might make a real difference: the spreading legalization of recreational marijuana and the absence of standardized warnings for a drug whose effects on mental health, particularly, are becoming increasingly clear.

The federal government currently has no regulatory role when it comes to cannabis; that’s up to the states, 24 of which have chosen legalization. But if Murthy chooses to suggest a warning for beer and booze, there’s no reason he shouldn’t do so for pot.

There are, in contrast, a great many reasons he should. Medical research has identified a variety of ill effects, especially from the potent pot edibles. These include Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (persistent and uncontrollable vomiting); marijuana use disorder (aka addiction) and even a link to the onset of schizophrenia in young adults.

As an under-publicized caveat from the Centers for Disease Control puts it: “cannabis use directly affects brain function — specifically the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision making, coordination, emotions, and reaction time.” It’s the kind of language that might well be on a warning label. It’s no surprise, in other words, that auto accidents caused by those “driving while impaired” have increased in states, including Washington and Oregon, where pot has been legalized longest.

It’s a situation that cries out for guidance from “the nation’s doctor” — notwithstanding the fact that the surgeon general’s official role is limited by the fact that cannabis is still technically illegal under federal law. States have taken it upon themselves to change that designation — often, as in New York, emphasizing potential tax revenue and new pot farms more than public health.

Across the country, pot warnings that states do require vary dramatically. In New York, that warning is limited to “smoking or vaping is hazardous to health”, and “keep out of reach of children and pets.” California requires a warning akin to what the surgeon general proposes for alcohol: “this product can expose you to marijuana smoke, which is known to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm”.

The emphasis by state governments has not been on making pot use safe but, at the same time, discouraging it — or even waiting until all the evidence is in and we can follow the science prior to legalizing. Instead, states have rushed toward legalization.

Read his full opinion at 

We need a surgeon general cancer warning on pot