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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Maryland Rep. Andy Harris and D.C. have a long, personal war over marijuana and he's not budging
WASHINGTON – Eleanor Holmes Norton's language was pointed. Rep. Andy Harris is 'trying to overrule the will of my constituents,' said Norton, Washington D.C.'s delegate to the U.S. House. The Maryland Republican, she added, is 'violating his own principles regarding local control of local affairs.' Norton was referring to Harris tucking language into federal budget legislation that prohibited the District of Columbia from spending money to carry out a marijuana legalization law approved by its voters. That was 2014, but it might well have been yesterday. In every congressional session since — including the current one — the 'Harris Rider' has appeared in appropriations bills, and Norton and marijuana legalization advocates have vehemently railed against it. Their longstanding back-and-forth is as predictable as the humidity that returns to Washington each summer. The rider means people can possess or use limited amounts of marijuana at home in Washington, but no one can sell it for recreational use. 'The congresswoman always advocates to remove it,' said Sharon Eliza Nichols, the communications director for Norton, now 89. 'She speaks against it continuously — she references it specifically on the House floor, at press conferences, and at external speaking engagements whenever she speaks about the D.C. appropriations bill.' Harris, 68, whose district includes the Eastern Shore, Harford County and a portion of Baltimore County, is a Johns Hopkins-trained anesthesiologist who has long crusaded against marijuana use. He has an outsized role in District of Columbia governance as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which has a powerful say over D.C. finances. Harris says marijuana has been linked to a host of physical and social ills. 'The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration have held long-standing opinions that marijuana is a psychoactive drug that is both addictive and harmful,' Harris said in a written statement to the Baltimore Sun. 'Despite a lack of much scientific research showing safety and growing evidence of harm, over three dozen states legalized the recreational use of marijuana,' he said. 'I am glad to see that the Trump administration recognized the importance of the Harris Rider by including it in their FY26 Budget Request and look forward to seeing the Harris Rider enacted into law again in this year's appropriations process.' Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she opposes 'all congressional interference in the lives and affairs of Washingtonians,' in a statement from her office on Tuesday. Maryland voters approved a ballot referendum in 2022 to legalize marijuana for adults, and sales were permitted beginning in July of the following year. Marijuana remains classified, along with heroin and LSD, as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it is illegal at the federal level. States such as Maryland acted independently in legalizing it, and federal law enforcement has generally concentrated its efforts on 'criminal networks involved in the illicit marijuana trade,' according to the Congressional Research Service. President Joe Biden's administration had proposed reclassifying marijuana, which would have removed some restrictions — on medical research, for example — although it still wouldn't have been declared the drug legal federally. But President Donald Trump's administration has not moved to downgrade the drug from Schedule 1, even though Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had pledged to 'decriminalize cannabis at the federal level' while a presidential candidate in 2023. HHS did not return messages seeking comment about its plans. The battle between Harris and marijuana legalization activists seemed to get personal after the congressman's rider was first introduced. In April 2018, former Washington head shop owner Adam Eidinger rented a brick rowhouse in the congressman's district in Salisbury so he could vote against Harris and organize others to do the same. Eidinger, 51, helped push Initiative 71, the ballot measure approved by voters in 2014 to legalize marijuana in Washington for recreational use. He also often showed up at Harris' public events, asking repeatedly why Harris thought he knew more than District voters about what is good for them. Eidinger and his fellow activists tried to imbue their rallies and events with creativity. They displayed inflatable joints outside the White House and distributed cannabis at Trump's first inauguration in 2017. Harris would not relent. 'Andy Harris is totally out of touch. It's frustrating on so many different levels,' Eidinger said this week. 'I've given up on trying to change these guys' minds. We have to vote in guys we can trust,' he said. _____
USA Today
15-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Ginkgo biloba is popular and provides many potential health benefits. What is it?
Ginkgo biloba is popular and provides many potential health benefits. What is it? Show Caption Hide Caption Omega-3 supplements: Do they really work? You can find Omega-3s in fatty fish and plant-based sources like walnuts. Many of today's most popular Western supplements, medicines and practices can trace their roots back to ancient Eastern medicine. These include practices aimed at tapping into a life force known as Qi (pronounced chee), which include acupuncture, massage therapy, tai chi, cupping, sound therapy and yoga. Herbal medicine also has many of its roots in the East, including green tea, ginseng, ginger, goji berries and turmeric. Another of today's most popular herbal remedies and supplements is ginkgo biloba. Here's what ginkgo biloba is, what benefits are associated with it and why it's not recommended to be taken by everyone. What is ginkgo biloba? Ginkgo biloba is a tree that's also known as the maidenhair tree—a botanical species that's grown in China for thousands of years. Because it's the only surviving member of an ancient plant family, maidenhair trees are often referred to as living fossils. Though people throughout China and other East Asian countries sometimes consume ginkgo biloba seeds and leaves or use them in cooking, the form of the tree that most people consume in Western society comes from an extract of the tree's leaves — which is usually just referred to as ginkgo. Ginkgo supplements are available in many forms, including pill, powder and liquid tinctures. "Dried ginkgo leaves can also be used to make tea," explains Dr. Uma Naidoo, director of nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist behind "Calm Your Mind with Food." Did you read? Green tea is known for its health benefits, but did you know this? What are the benefits of ginkgo biloba? Ginkgo extract and supplement are associated with many studied health benefits, Naidoo explains, such as helping slow the progression of age-related diseases, improving blood flow in those with coronary artery disease and reducing symptoms related to depression. Such benefits are most commonly associated with ginkgo's high concentration of a type of antioxidant known as flavonoids — which are known to neutralize damage related to free radicals. "This is why ginkgo can help protect your heart and blood vessels from oxidative damage," says Josh Redd, a Johns Hopkins-trained doctor of naturopathic medicine and the author of "The Truth About Low Thyroid." This benefit can be especially useful for those with peripheral artery disease and hypertension, "but the improved circulation benefits can also be helpful to other people," he says. Ginkgo also has properties that can help fight inflammation throughout the body, "which is crucial to combat as we age," Redd says. He adds that there is also compelling research showing that ginkgo "has genuine promise for cognitive health," including a 20-year population study demonstrating that consistent ginkgo use may slow cognitive decline over time. Health benefits of ginger: A guide to the plant's powers Is taking ginkgo biloba safe? At the same time, some research on ginkgo is mixed and some of the data that shows promising benefits come from small studies or related to markers tracked in animal cells. Because of this, Naidoo says that larger-scale human studies are needed to more fully understand ginkgo's potential benefits. What's more, ginkgo isn't for everyone. "Ginkgo has the potential to interact with medications like blood thinners, antidepressants and NSAIDS," says Naidoo. "While ginkgo's anticoagulant properties can help improve circulation, if you take blood-thinning medication medications, its blood-thinning effect can be dangerous," echoes Redd. Even in individuals not taking such medications, Naidoo says some people experience side effects when taking high levels of ginkgo or when taking it over extended periods of time. Such side effects can include digestive issues, headache, allergic skin reactions and dizziness. It's also important to note that supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the way food and drugs are. "There are so many garbage supplements on the market, so quality matters tremendously," says Redd. "I recommend you avoid cheap mass-market supplement s... and to instead look for practitioner-brand nutraceuticals that undergo third-party testing for purity and quality." For those concerned with taking ginkgo supplements, echoes Naidoo, "trying the tea variety of ginkgo may be the better way to start adding it to your diet."
