U.S. Surgeon General adamantly opposes medical, recreational marijuana

As the issue of legalizing recreational marijuana in Florida lights up, the U.S. surgeon general is sending a warning about it. He told his peers at a medical conference in Orlando that without proper regulation and research, marijuana could become a public health problem.

Luann Clark suffers from chronic back pain and the repercussions continue to change her life. “You get that breakthrough pain that it sends you over the wall,” she said.

Larry Reposa, Clark’s husband and an activist for marijuana legalization, said through tears that his wife has no life due to the amount of pain she endures. “She really doesn’t because the pain is so bad,” he said.

Clark told WINK News that smoking medical marijuana provides an escape from the debilitating pain. That is why she and her husband support greater access to the drug. “It affects the body in a way that you can at least cope,” she said.

But the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams,  fears the rapid push to legalize medical marijuana could lead to a nationwide crisis. “I worry that without the science to lead our public policy decisions,” he said, “we’re going to be 20 years from now, mopping up another mess.”

Florida is one of 33 states that have legalized medical marijuana. Adams wants to see more research and he is calling for strict regulation on who gets to use medical marijuana. That does not sit well for Luann and her husband.

“They’ve been researching it since the 40s,” Reposa said. “How much more research do you need?”

“It works for me and I know where it works,” Clark said. “So, I don’t think I’d have some test decide whether I want to take it or not.”

But the surgeon general has his supporters, including a Fort Myers anesthesiologist. “I agree that there needs to be more education done on CBD and marijuana in general,” Joe Kapla said, “but regulations need to be opened up so those studies can occur.”

There is also a push in Florida to make recreational marijuana legal. However, the surgeon general is firmly against that, too.