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Bill Clinton Endorses CBD Until It’s Undone

Written by Jason Collins

CBD has been proven to be a healthy pain management option. Photo by Kimzy Nanneyon Unsplash

During the 2022 invite-only Impact Forum in Orlando, Florida, a few key speakers were discussing important topics surrounding the connection between medicine and societal advancement.

At this event, the esteemed Dr. Sanjay Gupta held a conversation with former United States President Bill Clinton on a range of topics that included the opioid crisis and CBD.

Surprisingly, Clinton reportedly expressed his support of CBD and the use of THC for pain management in small doses. This is somewhat controversial, considering his stance on CBD and THC use in the past. Let’s learn about what he had to say on the topic and the controversy of his endorsement being seemingly retracted.

 

What Is The Bill Clinton CBD Backstory?

While in office Clinton’s drug policy was widely criticized by numerous advocates. It’s well known that the Clinton administration strongly opposed drugs like heroin and cocaine and medicinal cannabis. His administration took it so far as to threaten doctors who prescribed medicinal cannabis with license revocation.

However, in 2000, in an exit interview that Rolling Stone published, it was reported that Clinton had changed his mind on the way medicinal cannabis should be governed. According to the interview, Clinton appeared to endorse medicinal cannabis in small amounts. This was a significant change considering how staunch his administration was in the past concerning cannabis reform.

 

What Are The Comments Bill Clinton Made?

Years later, in 2022, it’s evident that his mindset has further evolved in that he favors the use of medicinal cannabis instead of opioids. It is believed that his stance has changed because of the opioid crisis and the unfortunate deaths of those with substance abuse disorder (SUD), and the proof that medicinal cannabis can be used in pain management.

During the discussion with Dr. Gupta at the Impact Forum, he stated that he receives multiple calls from many friends and family members suggesting cannabis as an alternative to opioids for pain management.

While talking to Gupta, it was evident that Clinton favored this solution. He cited FDA facts concerning Low THC counts combating pain and told the audience that he was counting on their support for standardization in CBD testing.

 

The Controversy Surrounding These CBD Comments

Although Clinton’s statements supporting the use of medicinal cannabis were well received, his comments on the topic were quickly retracted and brought into question by his PR team. According to Clinton’s PR team, the comments discussed at the panel were supposed to be closed to the press.

Clinton’s PR team wanted a published article by Cannabis & tech today citing Clinton’s statements on cannabis use for pain management taken down. Shortly after, the story was taken down upon the writer’s request.

However, this didn’t last because, despite the article’s accuracy and Clinton’s statements being brought into question, the publication stood by their journalist. The publication stated that they never want to retract a story and stand by their quotes even if Clinton’s PR team says his comments were closed to the press. Soon after this statement, the published article was placed back online.

From their standpoint, simply because Clinton’s comments were closed to the press doesn’t make them any less accurate. Yet, according to a representative of the Impact Forum, no press were allowed to attend the panel, which is why the forum cannot confirm the accuracy of Clinton’s quotes. That’s why it appears Clinton’s endorsement of CBD has been undone.

 

 

References:

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/article-on-bill-clintons-cbd-comments-deleted-following-alleged-pressure-from-former-presidents-team/

https://cannatechtoday.com/exclusive-former-president-bill-clinton-endorses-cbd/

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/interview-with-jann-wenner-rolling-stone-magazine

About the author

Jason Collins