Sanjay Gupta On Marijuana; Doctor Explains Why He Changed His Mind 'We Have Been Terribly And Systematically Misled For Nearly 70 Years'

CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta apologized to the public for believing marijuana was not effective in treating certain conditions and was subject to abuse.

"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," the doctor wrote on CNN.

Contrary to Gupta's prior beliefs, he wrote that marijuana does not have a high rate of abuse, and can have important medical applications.

Gupta said sometimes medical marijuana is the only solution to a patient's condition. He told the story of Charlotte Figi, who sometimes had up to 300 seizures a month. Medical marijuana cut that number down to only two or three.

"We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that," Gupta wrote for CNN.

A 1944 study commissioned by New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia found marijuana did not cause "significant addiction," nor was it found to be a "gateway drug." Yet it is still classified as a Schedule 1 drug, Gupta reported.

Cocaine is considered a schedule 2 drug, which means it is considered to be less addictive and harmful than marijuana.

According to Gupta, one person dies from a prescription drug overdose in the U.S. every 19 minutes, there have been no documented cases of death-by-marijuana.

Gupta said studying marijuana is difficult in the U.S. because it is hard to come by, and other researchers often disapprove.

Gupta said he was "intrigued" by studies taking place in Spain and Israel that look at how marijuana can aid in cancer treatment. Studies are also taking place on how the substance can help relieve symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Marijuana acceptance is going up in America, "Twenty states and the District of Columbia have now voted to approve marijuana for medical applications, and more states will be making that choice soon," Gupta said.

Gupta announced his post with a heartfelt tweet.

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