Dr. Oz Shares New Cannabis Legalization Comments Pertaining to FDA and DEA Actions

The celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, or in short Dr. Oz, said the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have representatives that want to legalize marijuana. Still, the two agencies categorically blame each other for the delays in ending its prohibition.

Dr. Oz’s Opinion on Cannabis

Recently, Dr. Oz spoke in an interview about his professional views on cannabis. He named marijuana “one of the most underused tools in America,” mentioning that he talked with DEA and FDA representatives to find out their opinions on the plant. Here are his exact words in an interview with Fatman Scoop on this:

“We ought to completely change our policy on marijuana. It absolutely works,” he told interviewer Fatman Scoop, adding that another daytime TV host Montel Williams, who has multiple sclerosis, convinced him of the medical utility of cannabis.

“Now I’ve seen this helping people with sleep issues, with pain issues for sure, and a lot of people who have serious medical problems getting relief—and here’s the thing, you can’t die from it. I’m unaware of any case when anyone has overdosed.”

Not a Pot Smoker, Yet Still a Supporter

Dr. Oz didn’t give any details about whom from the DEA or the FDA that he spoke to. Either way; both agencies are supposed to be in charge of marijuana reform before it gets to Congress. The DEA said they don’t take any actions on legalizing weed because the FDA deems hemp as not having any medical value and presents the risk of abuse.

“It’s a lot safer than alcohol. It’s safer than narcotics. It ought to be used more widely, and we can’t even study it easily because of the way it’s regulated. You know what, I called the DEA—they said, ‘we don’t want this to be illegal. Your government ought to change that. But we got to enforce the law.’ I call the FDA that regulates the drugs, they say, ‘we think it ought to be used, but until the DEA says it’s allowed, we can’t let people prescribe it everywhere.”

Dr. Oz has previously said he supports legalizing marijuana because the plant can be a tool to put an end to the opioid epidemic. Earlier this year, he also wanted to make things clear about his involvement with a CBD company that says that he is endorsing. He says that he has nothing to do with any specific CBD product. Talking about whether he consumes marijuana or not, his words were:

“I have never smoked pot in my life, never gotten high, and I only bring that up because I’m not someone who’s saying this because I personally would use it. I, just as a doctor, think it makes sense.”