dr Oz takes on John Fetterman in an unprecedented Senate race – and cannabis is on the table

Through Maureen Meihan

Famed physician Mehmet Oz officially became Pennsylvania’s Republican Senate nominee when his opponent Dave McCormick conceded Friday despite Oz’s razor-thin lead of less than a thousand votes.

Oz will now face Democrat Lt. gov. John Fetterman in what is expected to be one of the most watched and expensive Senate races in US history.

Why it matters

Oz, backed by Trump, and Fetterman, a progressive giant, are attempting to fill the vacant Senate seat vacated by Senator Pat Toomey (R) and thereby gain control of the 50-50 US Senate.

RELATED: Sen. candidate John Fetterman: ‘It’s high time we pulled ourselves together and legalized weed’

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Scientific American, the oldest continuously published journal in the United States, says Dr. Oz shouldn’t be a Senator or a doctor that his brand of misinformation has already tarnished medicine and will fare much worse in the halls of Congress.

“DR. Oz has long promoted misleading, science-free, and unproven alternative therapies such as homeopathy, as well as diets, detoxes, and cleanses. Some of these things were potentially harmful, including hydroxychloroquine, which he once touted as being beneficial in treating or preventing COVID would be. This claim has been thoroughly refuted.”

Adding that to Oz’s cannabis conclusions

In addition to his lucrative evidence-free advice, Oz recently said that legalizing recreational cannabis in PA would cause people to lose motivation to go to work.

“There aren’t enough Pennsylvanians to work in Pennsylvania, so giving them weed to stay home isn’t ideal in my opinion,” he told Newsmax, though it’s not clear how Oz reached that particular conclusion .

How DEA and FDA blame each other for marijuana's illegal status, says Dr.  ozPhoto by Rob Kim/Stringer/Getty Images

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 4.9% in March, and more than 80% of the jobs lost since the pandemic began have been recovered, according to an official government website.

RELATED: What early primary victories tell us about possible cannabis reform

Oz also warned against encouraging an “emotional addiction” to cannabis. “I don’t want young people to think they have to smoke a joint to get out of the house in the morning,” he said. “We need to get Pennsylvanians back to work. You have to give them their mojo, and I don’t want marijuana to be a barrier to that.”

This guy needs his mojo back

Lt. gov. Fetterman, who supports legalizing cannabis, is still recovering from a stroke he suffered days before winning the primary in May and has since undergone a pacemaker implantation procedure. Except for video appearances, he has not yet returned to the election campaign.

Last Friday, Fetterman released a statement saying he should have taken his health more seriously and that he hadn’t seen a doctor in five years.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.

Post a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *