Dr. Mehmet Oz has never been a fan of recreational cannabis. The U.S. Senate candidate in Pennsylvania and popular TV talk-show host only favors medical use.
On May 19, he told Newsmax: "There are not enough Pennsylvanians to work in Pennsylvania. So, giving them pot so they stay home I don't think is an ideal move. Also, I don't want to breed addiction to marijuana. It's not physical addiction, it's emotional addiction. But I don't want young people think they have to smoke a joint to get out of the house in the morning. We need to get Pennsylvanians back at work, got to give them their mojo, and I don't want marijuana to be a hindrance to that. I also don't want people operating heavy machinery and driving by me when they're taking their fourth joint of the day."
Mehmet Oz says he disagrees with Fetterman's position that marijuana should be legalized because Pennsylvanians need to get back their "mojo" and get back to work pic.twitter.com/0G7tiMIyYZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2022
In the past, Dr. Oz has made the following statements about cannabis:
2013
"As a physician, I believe marijuana has a therapeutic role for patients with conditions such as cancer and chronic pain. But my bottom line is that I cannot condone any type of impairment for recreational purposes, especially when the consequences are diminished mental capacity and possibly even dependence."
2014
“I grew up with most of my generation thinking that marijuana was something Satan was throwing at Americans and a Communist plot. But I think that most of us have come around to the belief that marijuana is hugely beneficial when used correctly for medicinal purposes. We pervert its use sometimes. I don't think it should be widely used, certainly by kids, because it creates a dependence that's unhealthy in any setting. But it absolutely should be widely available in America."
2017
"The real story is the hypocrisy around medical marijuana. People think it's a gateway drug to narcotics. It may be the exit drug to get us out of the narcotic epidemic... We're not allowed to study it because it's a Schedule I drug, and I personally believe it could help."
Dr. Oz is currently in a too-close-to-call race for the Republican Senate nomination in Pennsylvania. A thousand votes separate Oz and Dave McCormick. Whomever wins will face Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in November.
Sixty percent of Pennsylvania residents favor adult-use or recreational legalization.
