A former head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is serving as a member of the board of directors for a medical marijuana business in Georgia, according to documents obtained by Marijuana Moment. Tom Price, who served as HHS secretary under President Donald Trump for seven months before resigning following criticism over hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel expenses, is listed as a board member of Botanical Sciences, LLC, one of six cannabis businesses to win licenses last month under Georgia’s limited medical cannabis program. A former congressman who repeatedly voted against marijuana reform, Price’s involvement in the industry is notable on its own. But it’s also the case that as health and human services secretary, he was empowered to initiate proceedings to formally recognize cannabis’s medical value and reschedule it under federal law—a move he chose not to take. Now, he’s apparently part of an industry that’s generating billions of dollars in sales every year. As a congressman, he voted six times against appropriations bill amendments to simply shield state medical marijuana programs from federal interference by the Department of Justice. Those protections were eventually enacted over his objection, and remain part of federal spending law today.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 08/09/2021 08:25:00