Sanjay Gupta is Wrong About Medical Marijuana

Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s documentary, Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution, that aired on Sunday, April 20, on CNN was neither compassionate nor responsible. We should all have great concern for those with serious illnesses who may benefit from medicines derived from botanicals that are not currently FDA approved. And we can agree that novel botanically derived medicines should be available and could be made available with clinical trials and more efficient government approval mechanisms, however, legalizing marijuana is not the way to achieve this end. Crude marijuana that is smoked or ingested can be an addictive substance, an intoxicating substance or a gateway drug. Those most vulnerable to the adverse effects of marijuana are the young, those with mental illness, the underprivileged and those with a constitutional predisposition to addiction. Countless numbers of individuals and families are harmed by marijuana abuse in our nation. Dr. Gupta seems to be either ignorant or inconsiderate of this fact. The agony of these problems deserves equal compassion and it should be extended to those individuals and affected families who fall prey to profit-seeking marijuana dealers, or if legalized, a profit-seeking commercial marijuana salesforce. As espoused by former Congressman and ASAM McGovern Award recipient Patrick Kennedy, an exceptionally courageous man, compassion can be deeply heartfelt for both those who may benefit from the medicinal value of specific marijuana constituents, and for those as well who may be victims of marijuana abuse, addiction and the for-profit promotion of marijuana sales.

The scientific community has been aware that a chemical constituent in marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD), is currently under investigation for its potential medicinal value in seizure disorders and other neurological conditions, and that this chemical could be made available as a prescribed medication. Furthermore, THC , the active compound in marijuana has been legal as a medication in the United States for many years, and prescribed to many patients with nausea due to cancer chemotherapy. Sativex, an extract of marijuana that contains a high content of the potentially therapeutic cannabidiol, is available by prescription in Canada and a number of European nations. Sativex, a legitimate medicinal marijuana extract, could be made available in the U.S. as a legally prescribed medication this year, if there was sufficient genuine political will.

Unfortunately, disingenuous mercenary profit incentives favor the political will for legislated “medical marijuana.” Those physicians who sincerely advocate for cannabis derived medicines to be made available should be responsibly supporting the research and approval of Sativex and cannabidiol rather than advocating for the unsound and unscientific promotion of legalized crude “medical marijuana”. Addiction physicians throughout the nation support the appropriate development of botanically derived medications.

However, the current movement gaining momentum toward unrestricted legalization of “medical” smoked or edible crude marijuana, as well as the unrestricted legalization of marijuana for any purpose, will harm this nation. In this context, as Dr. Gupta should be aware, his documentary ​Weed 3 unequivocally supports and promotes that legalization movement. Toward that end, the lack of compassion for the victims of marijuana abuse is troubling.