Abraham has been openly enthusiastic about his support for opioid treatments, once suggesting that the drugs are far less dangerous and much more effective than medical marijuana. Five years ago, during an October 2014 debate for Congress, Abraham claimed he did not support “the legalization of marijuana on any level.”

“Again, as a physician, let me tell you. What I see in my practice, from any level of marijuana use, is bad,” Abraham stated. “I’m against recreational, I’m against medical. In the medical profession, for these chronic pain, poor cancer patients that need help, we have other alternatives that work better, Dilaudid, OxyContin, you name it, Oxycodone, we have several options that do a much better job for chronic pain.

“I’ve had hundreds of patients unfortunately with cancer that I’ve treated, they do well with these drugs,” he continued.