American neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta made an apology in August last year for opposing medical marijuana saying he did not dig enough into the beneficial effects of the plant. He also acknowledged his role in misleading the public on weed.
It has been eight months since Gupta wrote about how he changed his opinion on marijuana but his support for medical pot has not waned since. The Emmy award-winning medical correspondent even said he is "doubling down" on the medical weed.
On Wednesday, Gupta wrote that since CNN aired "Weed", his one-hour documentary about medical marijuana which features stories about patients who have been failed by traditional treatments but improved after using medical marijuana, he has continued to meet hundreds of patients and scientists all over the world.
"I have met with hundreds of patients, dozens of scientists and the curious majority who simply want a deeper understanding of this ancient plant," Gupta wrote. "I have sat in labs and personally analyzed the molecules in marijuana that have such potential but are also a source of intense controversy. I have seen those molecules turned into medicine that has quelled epilepsy in a child and pain in a grown adult. I've seen it help a woman at the peak of her life to overcome the ravages of multiple sclerosis."
Gupta also said that he is more supportive of the medical pot than ever before. "I am more convinced than ever that it is irresponsible to not provide the best care we can, care that often may involve marijuana," he wrote. "I am not backing down on medical marijuana; I am doubling down."
Gupta has likewise opposed marijuana's classification as a Schedule I substance. Drugs that fall into this category such as heroin, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are considered very dangerous with high potential for abuse and do not have accepted medical use.
"Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, defined as the most dangerous drugs with no currently accepted medical use," Gupta said. "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."
Twenty U.S. states have already allowed medical marijuana but others are still weighing on its medicinal or recreational benefits. Supporters of medical marijuana nonetheless appear to have the advantage at least in terms of public support.
"If you look at public opinion polls, support for legalizing medical marijuana is over 70% nationally, even in the South," executive director of the pro-legalization Drug Policy Alliance Ethan Nadelmann said.
