Dr. Sanjay Gupta reverses decision on marijuana
Published on 8/8/13
CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has recently announced his change in stance over medical marijuana. In a candid editorial on CNN.com, Dr. Gupta reveals his on-going analysis and soon to be released documentary on the benefits of marijuana as a medical application.
Further in the article, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reveals how the current classification of marijuana as a controlled substance lacks any firm research, yet marijuana continually proves to be a helpful in countless cases.
"They didn't have the science to support that claim, and I now know that when it comes to marijuana neither of those things are true. It doesn't have a high potential for abuse, and there are very legitimate medical applications. In fact, sometimes marijuana is the only thing that works. Take the case of Charlotte Figi, who I met in Colorado. She started having seizures soon after birth. By age 3, she was having 300 a week, despite being on seven different medications. Medical marijuana has calmed her brain, limiting her seizures to 2 or 3 per month.
I have seen more patients like Charlotte first hand, spent time with them and come to the realization that it is irresponsible not to provide the best care we can as a medical community, care that could involve marijuana."