Sanjay Gupta Pushes Even Further in Support of Medical Marijuana

Last August, CNN’s Chief Medical
Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta completely
reversed his position on the use of medical marijuana. He was
once an opponent, buying into the flippant claim from government
prohibitionists that the plant had no medical value. Then he
discovered
Charlotte Figi, the little girl whose life-threatening seizures
resisted all treatments other than medical marijuana. He came
around and even apologized for his previous position, realizing he
hadn’t done enough research.

Now, he says he’s
“doubling down” on his support for medical marijuana (though if
we’re going to abuse gambling metaphors, I’d say he’s going “all
in”). He’s been continuing researching medical marijuana and will
be airing a new documentary on Tuesday, March 11, on CNN. He
writes:

More remarkable, many doctors and scientists, worried about
being ostracized for even discussing the potential of marijuana,
called me confidentially to share their own stories of the drug and
the benefit it has provided to their patients. I will honor my
promise not to name them, but I hope this next documentary will
enable a more open discussion and advance science in the
process.

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, defined as
“the most dangerous” drugs “with no currently accepted medical
use.”

Neither of those statements has ever been factual. Even many of
the most ardent critics of medical marijuana don’t agree with the
Schedule I classification, knowing how it’s impeded the ability to
conduct needed research on the plant.

Acknowledging that marijuana’s Schedule I classification is
utter nonsense is a nice touch. Read what else he has to say

here. He has interviewed several of what he calls “cannabis
refugees” – families who have had to move to Colorado in order to
get access to medical marijuana because they could get arrested for
drug trafficking if they tried to bring it back to their home
states.