Washington, DC—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) today announced that it has filed a Notice of Appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, challenging a district court judgment entered that upheld the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Initiative (BEI)—a pilot program that would let Medicare reimburse for non-FDA-approved THC and CBD products.
“This fight is far from over, and we will not stand by while CMS allows for non-FDA-approved products to be given out to seniors,” said SAM CEO Dr. Kevin A. Sabet. “This program puts CMS in bed with Big Tobacco and Big Weed, and it puts American seniors at risk. CMS has a mandate to promote public health, and this program would degrade it. This move would not only put seniors at risk but also send the wrong message to the American people about the safety of these products, which have been found to have a whole host of negative side effects.”
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