The House Oversight and Reform Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee held a hearing on June 23 on the youth vaping epidemic currently happening in the country. Representative Andrew Clyde (R – GA) questioned the FDA acting commissioner Janet Woodcock on if cannabis is more dangerous than tobacco.

“Would you agree that marijuana is a more dangerous product than tobacco?” Representative Clyde asked plainly. 

“I don’t know that a direct comparison has been made,” Commissioner Woodcock replied. “…it depends on the tobacco. I mean, cigarettes are the number one preventable cause of death in the United States. So when you take that figure into account, the fact that marijuana, cannabis, is a Schedule I drug, it’s hard. It’s apples and oranges. There is a great deal of mortality and morbidity from cigarette smoking, and that’s been well-established.”

MORE Act

In response to Commissioner Woodcock, Representative Clyde spoke about the MORE Act. It’s a cannabis bill currently moving through the US House . In December 2020, the original MORE Act passed the House. However it stalled in the Senate as the session came to an end. Now, the MORE Act became reintroduced and waiting for the House to vote on the measure. 

“I think if my colleagues were truly concerned about the youth smoking epidemic, they would not have voted for the MORE Act,” Representative Clyde said. 

However, the MORE Act wouldn’t promote youth consumption. The bill is to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substance Act list and encourage equity in the emerging cannabis industry. The MORE Act would establish a regulatory model for cannabis sales to prevent youth usage, like requiring IDs to enter a location and purchase any product. 

Additional research from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NSEC), shows “no measurable difference” in usage in high school kids (grades 9-12) in states with legal cannabis compared to illegal states.

Future

While the FDA Commissioner avoided questions surrounding cannabis and tobacco, it seems to be a hot topic in Congress. Many lawmakers, like Representative Clyde, are against cannabis reform and legalization. Other lawmakers, like those who support the MORE Act, are for cannabis change. If the MORE Act makes its way to a full House vote, we will update you on the latest. 

Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.