Dr. Sanjay Gupta Says Denying Patients Cannabis is Immoral
World renowned doctor and cannabis supporter, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, stopped by the Late Show with Seth Myers recently and discussed how the recent election will benefit patients looking to cannabis as a legitimate medicine. Myers began by asking Gupta about his change of heart in regards to his original stance against cannabis.
“If you looked at all the studies, what you came to learn was that most of the studies were designed to look for harm as opposed to designed to look for benefit,” Gupta, the Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN said. “ . . . The whole system was sort of looking for that harm as opposed to saying this could be a legitimate medicine.”
Upon delving further into cannabis and seeing first hand the benefits of the plant in his travels, Gupta became not only a believer, but one of the chief supporters of medicinal cannabis. He no longer believed that cannabis seekers were “malingering and just wanted to get high.”
“But the truth is that, I think, for certain people not only does it work, it can be the only thing that works, and it would be immoral, perhaps even, to withhold that if it’s a therapy that can actually benefit people,” he said.
Four states passed medicinal cannabis initiatives earlier this month; Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota. Gupta singled out Arkansas as a sign that America is starting to see cannabis as medicine first and foremost.
“This is the only substance that has been, sort of, approved by the people,” Gupta said. “ . . . I switched my mind on this after looking at the data and I just encourage other people to do the same thing.”
Medical cannabis is currently legal in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Gupta is by far the most famous and respected doctor championing for the advancement of medical cannabis, and with him as an ally, hopefully the 22 states holding out will quickly follow suit.
