Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Campaign 2016 Worst Case Scenario

Major problem with drawing the conclusion that marijuana use caused the increased risk, which of course the study did not do. It is just as likely that the people were using pot to self-medicate because they felt sick! So it's just as valid to say that increased risk for stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death cause medical marijuana use.

More and more sick people are using it: It is only normal that some of those sick people get sicker and die. Most marijuana use only alleviates symptoms. It does not cure the underlying problem.

Murthy had been surgeon general since 2014 and his sudden departure surprised employees at HHS, The New York Times reported.
Murthy called gun violence a health threat to the United States, however, which had won him opposition from the NRA.

Murthy, 39, was the 19th surgeon general of the United States. He was a native of the United Kingdom and a graduate of Harvard College as well as the Yale University schools of medicine and business. A vice admiral and research scientist, he is known for his concerns regarding emotional well-being. At a recent conference on behavioral health in Seattle, he said, "We forget some of the oldest medicines are love and compassion." On his web page, he describes himself as a "physician, entrepreneur, grassroots organizer, mango aficionado, dreamer."

But employees at the Department of Health and Human Services told the Times they were surprised by the unusually abrupt departure. While it’s not unprecedented, Murthy’s four-year term would have normally ended at the end of this year.

The full reasons for the Trump administration’s request that he step down aren’t clear. But one clue may lie in Murthy’s views on gun control.

These views were immediately apparent after President Obama nominated him to the post and the National Rifle Association circulated a letter opposing his confirmation. The NRA was incensed by a 2013 letter from health professionals that Murthy signed that called “for Congress to pass stronger gun legislation immediately and for us to develop a comprehensive national plan to stop gun violence.” The letter proposed a goal of cutting gun deaths in half by 2020 and laid out some policy proposals to get there. The Senate blocked his nomination for more than a year, which meant the country had no surgeon general during the Ebola crisis.

More recently, in an interview with STAT during the presidential campaign, Murphy reiterated the view that gun violence is a public health issue and said “far too many people die from gun violence,” adding, “And in my book, every single death from gun violence is a tragedy because it was preventable.”