Surgeon General John Armstrong tells the House Judiciary Committee to beware of unintended consequences. The House Judiciary Committee approved a limited medical marijuana bill by a broad majority on Monday, but not without hearing Gov. Scott's chief medical officer take a very dim view of the legislation.
Florida Surgeon General John Armstrong said including low-THC marijuana among accepted treatments for kids with epilepsy is the same as bringing an untested drug directly to market. He said it would be better to send medical marijuana through the normal FDA drug approval process.
"We support access to investigational new drugs with known composition and a regulated risk profile", Armstrong said. "We must be wary of unintended consequences and remember that, first, we must do no harm."
Now, there's speculation that Armstrong's appearance was a signal that Scott will veto the marijuana bill if it reaches his desk.
The Judiciary vote sends the bill to the full House. The Senate version of the bill is before the Appropriations Committee today.
