(WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, today offered praise for the Trump Administration’s appointment of SAM ally and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia and West Virginia State Senator Mike Stuart (R-Kanawha) as General Counsel to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):
“As a U.S. Attorney and a lawmaker, Mike Stuart has been a steady, principled voice against the addiction industry and the threat pot profiteers pose to public health and safety. As a prosecutor, he was a strong force against those who tried to undercut federal laws on hemp-derived THC and marijuana edibles and oils – products known to be dangerous and addictive.
“Science and medical data continue to demonstrate the drug legalization and normalization is worsening our addiction crisis, especially among young people. I am confident that as General Counsel for HHS, Mike will be a powerful voice to ensure the Trump Administration’s ‘Make America Health Again’ agenda advances policies that truly prioritize public health and safety over corporate profits.
“Too many Americans dying from overdoses and experiencing addiction. It’s heartening to see that President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. are turning to bright minds like Mike Stuart to renew America’s commitment to ending this drug epidemic. After all, you can’t Make America Healthy Again with more dangerous drugs.”
Hon. Mike Stuart, then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, was a featured speaker at the 2019 SAM Summit and was acknowledged for his leadership standing up for public health and safety on the marijuana issue.