KETTERING — As Ohio prepares to launch its medical marijuana program by issuing licenses to cultivators, processors and dispensers, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in Kettering today, “There really is no such thing as medical marijuana.”

The statement came during a press conference on opioids at Brigid’s Path, an inpatient facility that treats newborns suffering from prenatal drug exposure.

He went on to say, “There is no FDA approved use of marijuana, a botanical plant. I just want to be very clear about that.”

Azar was responding to a question from the Yellow Springs News about what role he sees medical marijuana playing as an alternative to opioids for pain relief.

Cresco Labs Ohio LLC has secured a state license to build a medical marijuana cultivation facility in Yellow Springs. [Read More @ WHIO.com]