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shireen

(8,333 posts)
Fri Aug 9, 2013, 12:06 PM Aug 2013

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, new medical marijuana advocate

After dismissing it for years, Dr. Gupta has changed his mind and apologizes. Documentary airs Aug 11.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/08/health/gupta-changed-mind-marijuana/index.html

(CNN) -- Over the last year, I have been working on a new documentary called "Weed." The title "Weed" may sound cavalier, but the content is not.

I traveled around the world to interview medical leaders, experts, growers and patients. I spoke candidly to them, asking tough questions. What I found was stunning.

Long before I began this project, I had steadily reviewed the scientific literature on medical marijuana from the United States and thought it was fairly unimpressive. Reading these papers five years ago, it was hard to make a case for medicinal marijuana. I even wrote about this in a TIME magazine article, back in 2009, titled "Why I would Vote No on Pot."

Well, I am here to apologize.

I apologize because I didn't look hard enough, until now. I didn't look far enough. I didn't review papers from smaller labs in other countries doing some remarkable research, and I was too dismissive of the loud chorus of legitimate patients whose symptoms improved on cannabis.


More at link.
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