1 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to Wellness on Mass. I'm doctor Nicol Sapphire and 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: this is your weekly rundown where we're going to go 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: through a couple of big topics for the week. President 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: Trump made two major announcements that deserve serious attention, not 5 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: political spin, not sound bites, but real discussion. First, the 6 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: administration announced plans to downgrade medical marijuana from a Schedule 7 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:26,599 Speaker 1: one like heroin, to a Schedule three like tilenol with coding. 8 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: So from a medical standpoint, this is a significant shift. 9 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: Schedule one drugs are defined as having no accepted medical 10 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: use and a high potential for abuse. That category has 11 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: long included marijuana alongside, like I said, heroin, which frankly 12 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:46,239 Speaker 1: never aligned with clinical reality. Moving marijuana to a Schedule 13 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,840 Speaker 1: three acknowledges what many physicians already recognize. There may be 14 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: legitimate medical applications, particularly for chemotherapy related nausea, certain chronic 15 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: pain conditions, and appetite simulation in severe illness. But let 16 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: me be clear, this is not a declaration that marijuana 17 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,919 Speaker 1: is harmless. Absolutely not. We are seeing increasing evidence linking 18 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: heavy marijuana use, especially in adolescents and young adults, to 19 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: impaired cognition worsened anxiety and depression psychoses, especially in vulnerable individuals, 20 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: and long term effects on brain development. As a physician, 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: I support evidence based medicine, not cultural trends or profit 22 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: driven narratives. Now, medical access must be paired with clear guardrails, 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: rigorous research, and honest public education, especially when it comes 24 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: to protecting our kids. Now, the second announcement may be 25 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: even more consequential. President Trump has formally declared fentanyl a 26 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: weapon of mass destruction. Yeah sounds crazy, but it kind 27 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: of makes sense. That language is strong, but it should be. 28 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: Ventanyl is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths every 29 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: single year. It is potent, cheap, easy to transport, and 30 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: devastatingly lethal. Dose the size of a few grains of 31 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: salt can kill an adult. This is not just a 32 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: drug crisis. It is a national security crisis. Labeling ventanyl 33 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: as a weapon of mass destruction reframes how we fight it. 34 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: It elevates the response beyond public health alone to include 35 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: border security, international trafficking networks, and coordinating law enforcement action 36 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: from the emergency room to the ICU. I've seen what 37 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 1: ventanyl can do. It's not just to people, but to families. 38 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: And entire communities. These are not isolated overdoses. This is 39 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: a mass casualty exposure playing out quietly every day across America. 40 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: We cannot treat this like business as usual. Compassion and 41 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: treatment matter, but so does accountability. We need aggressive disruption 42 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,959 Speaker 1: of supply chains, serious consequences for traffickers, and prevention strategies 43 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: that actually work. President Trump is working on all this now. 44 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: I'll tell you We're going to talk next week with 45 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: an addiction specialist physician about how our reb centers are broken. 46 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: So while President Trump is working on decreasing the supply, 47 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,079 Speaker 1: there's still a lot of work to be done locally, 48 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: on a state level, on a federal level. So the 49 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: work doesn't stop here. So these two announcements on marijuana 50 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: and fentanyl highlight a broader truth. Health policy doesn't exist 51 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: in a vacuum. It sits at the intersection of medicine, 52 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: culture and national security, and if we're serious about making 53 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: America healthier, we have to be honest about all of it. 54 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening to Wellness unmasks. This has 55 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: been your weekly update. I'm doctor Nicole Sapphire. Make sure 56 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: to tune in to Wellness Unmasks with doctor Nicole Sapphire 57 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio wherever you get your podcasts, and we'll see 58 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: you next time.