The celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who made fun of John Fetterman‘s stroke (D-PA) during Pennsylvania’s pivotal race for U.S. Senate in 2022 and who openly criticized Fetterman’s stance on cannabis legalization, seems to be taking a U-turn on the plant, yet again.
Asked about whether smoking pot and using edibles to get a buzz is raising the risk of health hazards, Dr. Oz, who lost the senate race to Fetterman and who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, said cannabis is a field that needs more research. Though he added that "smoking anything creates damaging inflammation throughout your body."
"As for the medical use of cannabis' active ingredients THC and CBD, that's an evolving field with limited research," said Oz and his colleague Michael Roizen, M.D., chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, reported NJ.com.
Dr. Oz's latest position on cannabis is more in line with his 2020 statement that marijuana is "one of the most underused tools in America." That's before his 2022 animated campaign ad in which he ridicules Fetterman’s support for cannabis.
Now, Oz cites Johns Hopkins School of Public Health's 2023 interview with Johannes Thrul, Ph.D., MS who praises CBD for seizures as "one of the first indications that cannabis was approved for," while "THC has been used effectively for things like nausea and appetite for people with cancer."
However, the multimillionaire TV host seems to be skeptical of the benefits cannabis in terms of pain treatment. "It's a mixed bag for easing pain," Oz said.
Nevertheless, he concluded, "Our advice: If your physician recommends it to manage pain, especially if you're 65 and older, give it a try."
His stance on recreational cannabis use remains unchanged, as he highlighted the negative repercussions of chronic cannabis use in young people and pregnant women.
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