5@5: FDA commissioner stepping down | College students really can major in cannabis

FDA Commissioner Gottlieb, who raised alarms about teen vaping, resigns

Scott Gottlieb—who has tackled public health issues such as youth vaping and opioid addition during his tenure as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration—has announced he is leaving office in about a month. The White House reported that President Donald Trump did not want him to leave. Gottlieb said he wants to spend more time with his wife and three daughters, a set of twins who are 9 and a 5-year-old. Read more at The Washington Post …

Higher education: Colleges add cannabis to the curriculum

College students may have joked that they were studying weed, but now that marijuana is becoming a big—and legal—business in many states (not to mention Canada), they might be serious. Northern Michigan University now offers a four-year degree in medicinal plant chemistry, and it’s not the only school preparing its students to work in a variety of cannabis-related careers. Read more at AP News …

High fiber diets improve cancer treatments; probiotics make things worse

Cancer patients receiving immunotherapy treatment fared worse if they were consuming probiotic supplements, and better when they were eating high-fiber foods, a new study reports. The patients taking probiotics experienced a decrease in their gut’s microbe diversity. Read more at Mother Nature Network …

Environmental Working Group: If it’s not organic, it’s not clean

In a new analysis, the Environmental Working Group reports that conventional packaged food includes thousands of chemicals that are not regulated by the federal government. Most consumers do not know that fewer than 40 synthetic ingredients can be included in packaged organic foods; conventional foods are allowed to use more than 2,000 chemical preservatives, colors and other additives. Read more at EW.org …

Students in Virginia elementary school choose a milk machine to reduce waste

After students at Bluestone Elementary School in Harrisonburg, Virginia, learned their plastic milk cartons create tremendous waste, three fourth-graders worked with their peers and school staff to have a milk machine installed in the cafeteria. Students use washable cups and, instead of throwing away milk they don’t want to drink, can choose for themselves how much to dispense. Read more at WHSV.com …