Dr. Sanjay Gupta loves his weed. Well, “Weed” documentary at least. The thing was a huge hit with his network, CNN, and it exposed millions to the medical benefits of this plant through the lens of a former marijuana opponent.
Now Gupta is back with “Weed 2: Cannabis Madness” – that documents the past few months of Gupta’s continued research into this “ancient plant” that helps so many patients.
“I have sat in labs and personally analyzed the molecules in marijuana that have such potential but are also a source of intense controversy,” Gupta wrote today over at CNN. “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. I am more convinced than ever that it is irresponsible to not provide the best care we can, care that often may involve marijuana. I am not backing down on medical marijuana; I am doubling down.”
Gupta says that he saw some criticism for his previous special, but that he was surprised to see support from legislators “from several states” who reached out to them asking for more information on medical marijuana. Gupta attributes the current legislation in Georgia to his efforts.
He also dives into the fact that the U.S. government currently holds the patent for medical marijuana (Patent # 6630507) while at the same time scheduling the drug as having no medicinal value whatsoever. He says that the FDA declined to be interviewed in the report.
The first Weed documentary was done well, and was particularly effective at conveying the message that medical marijuana does work through profiling a little girl in Colorado Springs named Charlotte Figi who suffers from a rare seizure-causing disorder. Medical cannabis oil high in CBD has proven to be a lifesaver for the child, literally. It’s hard as a parent to watch that, and further emphasizes the stupidity of our federal marijuana laws.
Weed 2 airs on March 11 at 10 p.m. eastern on CNN. Check out a preview below.
