# Has anyone seen Sanjay Gupta's series on marijuana? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807 "2014-12-21T05:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/1 "2014-12-21T05:15:07Z")
I’m watching it now on CNN, and I’ll tell you, marijuana has proven medicinal properties that I had no idea about. I’m sold. I’m now convinced that marijuana has properties to treat a number of ailments. To me, this is a medicinal breakthrough. I had no idea of the efficacy to treat everything from pain to seizures. It’s quite astounding. I don’t smoke myself anymore; it makes me antisocial. But damn, Sanjay (a respected doctor) is really presenting a case for medicinal marijuana. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/2 "2014-12-21T14:11:01Z")
My 85 year old mother suffers mostly from back pain from 4 cracked vertebra. She’s very sensitive to any type of prescription pain relief. In that it makes her feel lousy in other ways. She also has terrible sciatica. Now, I’m not sure if it’s psychosomatic, or if it really helps, but she uses a MJ infused lotion for both. She doesn’t smoke it, and never would. I’m going to buy some more for her and put it in her x-mas stocking. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/3 "2014-12-21T14:21:02Z")
What are the conditions it treats, and how was this proven? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/4 "2014-12-21T14:30:21Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > …marijuana has proven medicinal properties… Proven? As in “results from medical trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals”? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/5 "2014-12-21T14:45:12Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > What are the conditions it treats, and how was this proven? > > Regards, > Shodan I used to feel less than great. Then I discovered marihuana and I feel fantastic! Proof enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/6 "2014-12-21T14:52:52Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Proven? As in “results from medical trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals”? Since It was classed as a Schedule 1 drug, that shut the door on conducting any trials. Catch-22. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/7 "2014-12-21T14:59:11Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > What are the conditions it treats, and how was this proven? > > Regards, > Shodan Getting authority to do research is throttled by the FDA and the DEA, who’s official positions on MJ are that it has no medicinal value, so scientific research is always going to be lacking until the Federal Laws change. A University can’t just set up a marijuana trial without running afoul of the Federal Government. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/8 "2014-12-21T15:15:38Z")
I haven’t seen the series, just ads for it, but I believe a fair amount of it takes place in countries not the United States, where research is legal. The question becomes how long the US medical community is going to turn up its nose at research done in other countries. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/9 "2014-12-21T15:38:05Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I haven’t seen the series, just ads for it, but I believe a fair amount of it takes place in countries not the United States, where research is legal. The question becomes how long the US medical community is going to turn up its nose at research done in other countries. Not much longer, actually. Colorado has just approved the first-ever money for research. > **[Colorado preparing to spend $9 million on medical marijuana research](https://www.denverpost.com/2014/06/11/colorado-preparing-to-spend-9-million-on-medical-marijuana-research/)** > > Colorado preparing to spend $9 million on medical marijuana research ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/10 "2014-12-21T17:48:07Z")
One of the ingredients, cannabidiol (CBD), effectively stopped one little girl from having many hourly seizures. She went from a wheel chair to normal life after consuming daily marijuana that was specifically grown to be high in CBD. Sure, one anecdotal example, but the results were immediate and completely undeniable. Watch the series. There are a number of other cases where it also seems undeniable that there are properties of marijuana that truly do treat and abate a number of ailments. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/11 "2014-12-21T18:03:14Z")
If the series ever gets to real evidence, please let us know. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/12 "2014-12-21T18:06:16Z")
I think many of the claims of medical utility are suspect. Some of them are likely true, it’s certainly not an inert substance, but recent coverage of the benefits of marijuana seem to be a pendulum swing reaction. I didn’t notice much attention to it’s main advantage, it gets you stoned. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/13 "2014-12-21T18:17:34Z")
Given the ease of getting a ‘medical’ marijuana card in Oregon, it must be effective for treating everything from a hangnail to cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/14 "2014-12-21T18:27:54Z")
When the majority of states now recognize medicinal value, the “Bah! Bullshit claims! Untrue! Call me back when you have PROOF!!!” response starts to look pretty knee jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/15 "2014-12-21T18:35:42Z")
Or else the medical use is a thinly disguised excuse because the states aren’t ready to come right out and legalize it for recreation. State recognition does not establish medical utility. Double-blinded studies under controlled conditions with reproducible results establish medical utility. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/16 "2014-12-21T18:41:35Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > When the majority of states now recognize medicinal value, the “Bah! Bullshit claims! Untrue! Call me back when you have PROOF!!!” response starts to look pretty knee jerk. Well, there’s a difference between the medical value of “it helps my anxiety” and “it reliably and consistently prevents seizures”. Or maybe legislators simply are bowing to the will of the people and allowing slow “backdoor” legalization. But hey, if it makes you feel better to think that pot cures your medical ills, toke away dudes. No one believes you anyway. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/17 "2014-12-21T18:45:09Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Or else the medical use is a thinly disguised excuse because the states aren’t ready to come right out and legalize it for recreation. > > State recognition does not establish medical utility. Double-blinded studies under controlled conditions with reproducible results establish medical utility. > > Regards, > Shodan There are several well established uses of marijuana for medical purposes. All of them are palliative as far as I know. It should be legalized for medical purposes based on existing evidence, but not necessarily for unproven curative benefits. It should be legalized for recreational usage because it’s a great way to have fun. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/18 "2014-12-21T19:03:30Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > State recognition does not establish medical utility. Double-blinded studies under controlled conditions with reproducible results establish medical utility. It’s hard to imagine a participant not knowing if they ingested marijuana or oregano. But, people are suggestible, I guess. [Here’s its effectiveness for pain relief in a double-blind](http://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=152:placebo-controlled-double-blind-trial-of-medicinal-cannabis-in-painful-hiv-neuropathy&catid=41:research-studies&Itemid=135). [Double-blind, ameliorating MS symptoms](http://msj.sagepub.com/content/10/4/434.short). [Double-blind relieving eye pressure caused by glaucoma](http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-4286-1_5). ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/19 "2014-12-21T19:35:44Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Well, there’s a difference between the medical value of “it helps my anxiety” and “it reliably and consistently prevents seizures”. > > Or maybe legislators simply are bowing to the will of the people and allowing slow “backdoor” legalization. > > But hey, if it makes you feel better to think that pot cures your medical ills, toke away dudes. **No one believes you anyway**. The majority of Americans polled support legal medical marijuana. So a few people believe it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807/20 "2014-12-21T19:48:39Z")
> [@bup](#): > > [Double-blind relieving eye pressure caused by glaucoma](http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-4286-1_5). Heh. I’m really high, but hey . . .😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-sanjay-guptas-series-on-marijuana/707807.md?page=2)