RE:Biden selected drug czar to implement marijuana program Marijuana Moment President Joe Biden nominated a White House drug czar who previously played a key role in overseeing the implementation and expansion of a state medical marijuana program. The official, whose confirmation is now pending by the Senate, has also publicly recognized both the therapeutic and economic potential of cannabis reform. Rahul Gupta, the former chair of the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Advisory Board who also served as theleadon drug policy in Bidens presidential transition team, is beingselectedto head the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The ONDCP director, commonly known as drug czar, is explicitly required understatuteto oppose efforts to legalize currently controlled substances. Having someone fill that role who has repeatedly touted the medical value of marijuanasaying, for example, that it can help citizens suffering from debilitating diseases like cancerand who has worked to institute a state-legal cannabis program that authorizes people to carry out activities that are in contravention of federal law is a departure from the norm for White House drug czars. The Biden administration touted that fact that Gupta is a medical doctor and argued he can uniquely help lead the nations drug policy efforts amidst an overdose crisis. President Bidens nomination of Dr. Rahul Gupta to be the first physician ever to lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is another historic step in the Administrations efforts to turn the tide of our nations addiction and overdose epidemic, the White House told the Washington Post, which firstreportedon the impending nomination earlier on Tuesday. Dr. Gupta brings firsthand experience as a medical doctor and public health official using evidence-based strategies to address the overdose epidemic in West Virginia. We hope he will be confirmed by the Senate soon. The drug policy publication Filter firstreportedin March that Gupta was the leading candidate for the ONDCP nomination. Despite his warmness to medical cannabis, harm reduction advocates have been quick to criticize Guptas broader record, pointing out that, during his time as commissioner for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Bureau for Public Health, he oversaw the decertification of a syringe access program that was designed to mitigate the spread of diseases like HIV and offer resources to people with substance misuse disorders. Prohibitionists had held out hope that the president would select someone whose views more closely align with their own, such as former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), a cofounder of anti-legalization organization Smart Approaches To Marijuana (SAM),who had personally lobbied for the nomination. Even so, theyre optimistic about Gupta and feel he will maintain the status quo, regardless of his state record on cannabis. Rahul has a strong public health background, but he also knows how to work with law enforcement and other stakeholders, Kevin Sabet, president of SAM, said in response to news of the nomination. He has a record of convening different constituencies, which will serve him well in this role. Its a strong selection. A spokesperson for the group added in a comment to Marijuana Moment that they fully expect him to share the Presidents opposition to legalization. Guptas views on adult-use legalization are not clear, but he was proactive in promoting patient access to medical cannabis before leaving the state government to join the nonprofit March of Dimes, which is focused on public health issues related to mothers and children. Rusty Williams, who served as a patient advocate on the West Virginia medical marijuana board alongside Gupta,told Marijuana Moment in an earlier interviewthat he once had a personal conversation with the official about the origins of marijuana prohibition. He said that the then-chair broached the topic of why marijuana was criminalized in the first place, and then agreed that federal officials intended to use prohibition as a tool to oppress communities of color. Gupta was willing to make things happen a year early, Williams said at the time, referring to the issuance of the boards report on the state medical cannabis program. I was encouraged with the conversation that he and I had about the roots of prohibition. In 2018, the West Virginia medical marijuana board released a report that included series of recommendations on the state program. Led by Gupta, the bodyadvisedthat patients should have access to marijuana in flower form for administration by vaporization or nebulizationsomething that was not initially allowed in the program as approved by lawmakers. When it comes to smoking that raw plant material, Guptanoted, that patients can combust themselves if they want, but thats not what were advocating or recommending. The report also called for the removal of limitations on the number of permits the Bureau for Public Health may issue for growers, processors, and dispensaries, as well as the removal of the limitation that a grower or processor may not also be a dispensary to permit the vertical integration of growers, processors and dispensaries. When medical marijuana legalization was approved by the West Virginia legislature in 2017, Gupta said that, like most people, he was surprised. Its an understatement, hesaidat the time. However, what we have in front of us today is a law as it stands in an attempt to compassionately address a number of disorders with chronic pain at the heart of it. When members of the state medical cannabis advisory board were appointed, the officialsaidthe panel will help facilitate a transparent and accountable process critical to ensuring a comprehensive system that will help citizens suffering from debilitating diseases like cancer. I am fully committed to making this particular piece of legislation successful, he said of the medical marijuana legalization bill. This bill was put together very quickly and, obviously, no bill is perfect. We certainly discussed the shortcomings, but that doesnt mean the program wont be successful and be on track. We want to do it because lives are at stake. They are depending on the program to be successful, he added. Many people are in chronic pain. We want to take on that challenge. Guptasaidthat the board had received feedback from a range of stakeholders interested in the implementation of the cannabis program, but theyd also received calls from people who are suffering who want to have some sort of relief. They are asking when they can get their patient ID card and go to their doctors to get certification. The human side of ityou cant ignore that piece, he alsosaid. Science explains some of it, but not all of it. He went on to say that there is a potential economic benefit to legalize for medical use, noting that rarely are there policies enacted that are win-win, and if done right, you can actually get a true win-win on this.