Biden’s drug control director says that shouldn’t eclipse the promise of medical marijuana

The director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy wants to make it clear that teenage marijuana use shouldn’t deter politicians and researchers from exploring the drug’s medicinal potential.

During a taped interview with The Washington Post, Dr. Rahul Gupta clarifies two of the most pressing issues with marijuana: its medicinal properties and its effects on the developing brain. “We know there is data behind supporting the medical use of cannabis. We also know that when we talk about children and the growing brain, there is a lot of evidence that marijuana use negatively affects the areas of their emotions and learning,” he said.

Gupta said that any substance is not good in the growing brain, but that “it does not negate the medical benefits that science has documented.” He concluded that much science is developing and that there are many prohibitions that have prevented researchers from studying it thoroughly.

Earlier in the interview, WP Assistant Editor Jonathan Capehart and Gupta discussed Biden’s pardon for marijuana and the drug’s possible postponement. “When do you expect this review to be conducted?” Kaphart asked.

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“It will happen expeditiously because the President has asked for it,” Gupta said. “What the President has announced is historic. No one before in the history of the United States has made these proclamations.” Gupta also highlighted the fact that Biden has urged state governors to follow his lead, as their decisions are likely to affect the majority of cases Biden has pardoned .

Screenshot via YouTube

“Is this the first step towards decriminalization?” Kaphart asked.

“Well, that’s certainly a move the President firmly believes in. He believes that people should not be arrested or convicted for the sole possession or use of marijuana,” said Dr. Gupta and shared some statistics on marijuana arrests that occur on an annual basis. He said black Americans have nearly four times more arrests compared to white Americans.

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“If you have this thing on your record, you can’t get public housing, you can get government loans, you can’t get a job,” Gupta said. He concludes that Biden’s approach will change lives if he looks beyond politics.