Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senator Pushes For Fast Action On Right-To-Try Bill, But House Is Being Cautious
Stat: House Lawmakers Unsure Of Senate Right-To-Try Bill, As Gottlieb Suggests Narrower Scope
Supporters of a Senate-passed “right-to-try” bill that aims to help terminally ill patients gain access to experimental treatments are pushing for the House to act quickly on the measure — but key House leaders showed little interest in that push. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who threatened to hold up a bipartisan and timely package of Food and Drug Administration policies in August in order to push his right-to-try legislation through the Senate, called on the House this week to pass his bill without changing a word. Any modifications in the House would force the Senate to reconsider the bill anew. (Mershon, 10/3)
In other news —
Bloomberg: FDA Hints It May Look Into Marijuana Health Claims
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may start cracking down on claims that marijuana has health benefits that haven’t been proven, the agency’s commissioner said Tuesday. “I see people who are developing products who are making claims that marijuana has antitumor effects in the setting of cancer,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said at a hearing before Congress on a separate matter. “It’s a much broader question about where our responsibility is to step into this.” (Cortez, 10/3)
California Healthline: Your Grandma’s Guide To Grass: State Rolls Out Website To Cut Through Cannabis Haze
Every day, Anna Denny encounters people who know their way around a joint. Denny owns Elevated 916, a smoke shop in north Sacramento that sells tobacco products and smoking accessories. But many of her customers don’t limit their smoking to tobacco. Because they’ve been there, done that, Denny just can’t imagine them using a new state website that offers resources — and plenty of warnings — about the use of marijuana now that lighting up recreationally is legal in California. (Ibarra, 10/3)
