Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Doctors Asking About Patient Marijuana Use Pre-Anesthesia
The Wall Street Journal: What Doctors Are Learning About Marijuana And Surgery
There’s a surprising side effect of a marijuana habit that many people don’t know: Regular users may need more anesthesia during medical procedures to remain sedated. As more states allow people to smoke pot and eat edibles legally, more doctors say they are asking about marijuana use—and urging honesty—before surgeries or procedures because habitual users may need more anesthesia and painkillers. In one study, people who reported they used cannabis required more anesthesia than people who didn’t use it. (Reddy, 2/6)
Politico: Pot Is Making People Sick. Congress Is Playing Catch-Up
Recognition of marijuana’s medical benefits, the harms of punitive drug policies, and the prospect of new tax revenue to fund popular services, have driven that change in attitudes and led 21 states to legalize recreational sales. But the policymakers overseeing legalization were flying surprisingly blind about its effect on public health. Only recently has a steady flow of data emerged on health impacts, including emphysema in smokers and learning delays in adolescents. Lawmakers’ reaction to the bad news raises the prospect that the loosely regulated marijuana marketplace, worth $13.2 billion last year and growing 15 percent annually, could come under pressure. (Leonard, 2/6)
News Service of Florida: Florida Recreational Pot Proposal Clears Initial Hurdle
Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana have passed a preliminary hurdle to get on the 2024 ballot, submitting more than enough petition signatures to trigger a Florida Supreme Court review of the measure. (Kam, 2/4)
Bloomberg: Fake Vapes, Counterfeit Cannabis Products Threaten New York Legal Weed
Kyle Kazan, from his company’s headquarters in Southern California, often gets texts from acquaintances in Brooklyn asking him to authenticate a package of weed that really shouldn’t be anywhere near New York City. (LaPara, 2/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: You Could Sip A Latte And Smoke Cannabis In The Same Cafe Under Proposed California Law
Local California governments could allow cannabis businesses to serve food and nonalcoholic drinks and host live music performances under a bill introduced in the California Legislature. The measure aims to allow for the kind of cannabis cafes that have become popular in Amsterdam. Assembly Member Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, who introduced the measure, said it could help pot shops struggling to compete with the illegal market attract new customers. (Bollag, 2/6)
Also —
Reuters: Ban On Marijuana Users Owning Guns Is Unconstitutional, U.S. Judge Rules
A federal law prohibiting marijuana users from possessing firearms is unconstitutional, a federal judge in Oklahoma has concluded, citing last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly expanded gun rights. (Raymond, 2/6)
