Sanjay Gupta is Wrong
I’ve always had a problem with Sanjay Gupta’s credibility after watching him condescendingly state on international television that supplements are generally not useful. He’s one of the worst of the medical establishment because he is willing to voice uninformed opinions to audiences on a massive scale. Most of the time he just comments on whatever the “breaking news” of the moment happens to be. I wish he’d just stick with that.
Last year he wrote an article in Time about marijuana. I’d be amazed at how bad it is if I wasn’t already convinced he’s a neurosurgeon that should stay in the operating room and off CNN. Here’s the article, along with my comments explaining why this doctor is not an authority on the subject of medical marijuana.
(NOTE: The American Medical Association supports the legalization of marijuana)
Full article at: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1552034,00.html
Health: Why I Would Vote No On Pot
By SANJAY GUPTA Thursday, Jan. 08, 2009
Maybe it’s because I was born a couple of months after Woodstock and wasn’t around when marijuana was as common as iPods are today, but I’m constantly amazed that after all these years–and all the wars on drugs and all the public-service announcements–nearly 15 million Americans still use marijuana at least once a month.
MindfulHal: Isn’t it amazing that 15 million (I think it’s closer to 20 million, but who’s counting) people are using pot and yet we have no clear evidence yet that it is damaging as claimed in this article? How remarkable that all these people are using this plant without creating an epidemic. Either the plant is quite safe or this is the greatest coverup in the history of humankind.
California and 10 other states have already decriminalized marijuana for medical use. Now two of those states–Colorado and Nevada–are considering ballot initiatives that would legalize up to an ounce of pot for personal use by people 21 and older, whether or not there is a medical need.
MindfulHal: And we’ll pass it too! Everyone go to the polls in November. This is a civil rights vote and you can make history, but not if you sit on your butt and wait for someone else to do something. Get registered now and vote in November. It’s really not that hard. If you’re in San Diego, drop me a note and I’ll explain exactly what you need to do. One other note. Alcohol and many other substances that have a documented impact on health are freely available without any thought of medical need. This argument is typically hypocritical of those who enjoy an occasional beer or glass of wine, but think the same moderate usage is not possible with the marijuana plant. I assure you that moderate use is quite comfortable; I know this from personal experience and the accounts of thousands of marijuana users.
What do voters need to know before going to the polls?
First, don’t listen to propaganda from figureheads like Dr. Gupta. They make ratings for media outlets. Go to the facts and the true experts and make your best decision. The facts are firmly on the side of legalizing marijuana. And incidentally, I’ll borrow a page from current political argument and note that our founding fathers would have agreed. There is indisputable historical evidence that many if not all of them grew and used the plant. George Washington is the most notable example. At one point in this country it was actually required by law for farmers to grow this plant. For the record, there was no rise in depression, anxiety or any other supposed negative impacts noted in any historical record. Go study if you think your mind is made up. Insist on information sources and credible experts. Can’t hurt!
The first is that marijuana isn’t really very good for you. True, there are health benefits for some patients.
It’s one or the other, Doctor. Is it good for me or not? Marijuana is VERY good for me as a cancer patient. It’s also very good for my friends with Parkinson’s. It’s also good for my friends with anxiety issues. It’s also very good for my friends that just have a hard week and need a bit of help relaxing so that they’re less likely to suffer stress-related illnesses in the future. Today their most likely options in this case are alcohol and pharmaceuticals. I could list the side effects of the top prescribed ‘relaxation’ medicines and of alcohol here, but it would make the article many times longer and I think most readers already understand how poisonous the substances can be. The benefits of marijuana are disputed, yes, but the most compelling evidence for benefit is walking around. Fifteen million people, even by Sanjay Gupta’s estimation, seem to be getting some benefit.
Several recent studies, including a new one from the Scripps Research Institute, show that THC, the chemical in marijuana responsible for the high, can help slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. (In fact, it seems to block the formation of disease-causing plaques better than several mainstream drugs.) Other studies have shown THC to be a very effective antinausea treatment for people–cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, for example–for whom conventional medications aren’t working.
This, frankly, makes me angry. First of all, he’s quoting a study without giving a usable reference — it is very hard to find this study. Also, he doesn’t mention that we desperately need MORE studies and that these studies don’t happen because the plant is illegal today according to Federal law. It’s not even scheduled, like the widely abused and toxic oxycontin for example, so that it can be prescribed. Even Dr. Gupta believes that this should be done. But what really gets me is the phrase “for whom conventional medications aren’t working.” I made it through 5 months of chemo without puking because of POT. Those “conventional medications”, like predinsone, that have been in use for a handful of years, have massive lists of side effects that are statistically PROBABLE. The “conventional” medicine that I used, marijuana, has been a “conventional” medicine for several thousand years at least. Here’s a list of its harmful side effects that have a statistical probability of causing you real harm:
And medical cannabis has shown promise relieving pain in patients with multiple sclerosis and reducing intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.
But I suspect that most of the people eager to vote yes on the new ballot measures aren’t suffering from glaucoma, Alzheimer’s or chemo-induced nausea. Many of them just want to get stoned legally. That’s why I, like many other doctors, am unimpressed with the proposed legislation, which would legalize marijuana irrespective of any medical condition.
Sanjay Gupta makes clear his lack of understanding with the use of the term “get stoned legally.” As any marijuana user quickly learns, there are many levels to the effect pot can have on your system. Just a small amount can give a slight “buzz” that is somewhat similar to having one beer, but of course is quite different as well. More might get you what most patients would call “high”. Keep consuming the pot and you’ll get “stoned”. You won’t overdose; no one has ever died of an overdose of marijuana. But you can get pretty deeply intoxicated and sedated. This doctor presents no evidence except his own uninformed opinion, as one not even understanding the basic terms of marijuana culture. He believes most people just want to get stoned. Do most people just want to get drunk, or do some people just enjoy a drink now and then? Do most people want to get couch-locked and be a stoner, or do they just want to have the right to enjoy pot in moderation? History and even the current usage patterns show the latter to be true.
Why do I care? As Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, puts it, “Numerous deleterious health consequences are associated with [marijuana's] short- and long-term use, including the possibility of becoming addicted.”
It is possible to become addicted to pretty much anything. It’s also possible to scare just about anyone by throwing around the term “addiction.” Using marijuana is pleasurable if done properly. You can get addicted to that. Eating sugar is MORE pleasurable, to me at least, and I’m totally addicted to it. If you told me I’d have to cut out sugar from my diet, I’d probably attack you. I’m a junkie. And eating sugar, especially not in moderation, has clear negative impacts on my health. Google health and sugar together if you want to see the chapter and verse on the empirical evidence. Now having said that, there is no (zero) evidence that marijuana is more addictive than other substances. None. Caffeine is more addictive, and yet is legal and when consumed in moderation can actually present health benefits. The ‘addiction’ argument is specious at best; it’s unacceptable from a professional medical worker. Even addiction itself is not properly understood. Take for example the fact that “12-step” programs are less than 2% effective at beating addiction. I’m willing to bet most of you hadn’t heard that little bit of inconvenient truth.
What are other health consequences? Frequent marijuana use can seriously affect your short-term memory. It can impair your cognitive ability (why do you think people call it dope?) and lead to long-lasting depression or anxiety. While many people smoke marijuana to relax, it can have the opposite effect on frequent users. And smoking anything, whether it’s tobacco or marijuana, can seriously damage your lung tissue.
None of these claims of harm are supported by evidence that is accepted by the largest medical associations (like the AMA). Marijuana absolutely affects your memory and cognitive ability in general. You can absolutely be depressed and anxious even if you use pot. So you adjust accordingly. Eating a big meal at lunch makes me sleepy and grumpy in the afternoon. I don’t make lunch illegal. I eat a salad and save the big meal for later. Marijuana must be used responsibly, but that doesn’t give the government the right to take away this plant that nature gave us freely. As for lung cancer, it’s clear that the studies don’t agree on this issue, but again Dr. Gupta makes a key logical error. Marijuana use does not equal smoking. Many people do smoke it, but clearly safe alternatives such as vaporization are readily and cheaply available. I didn’t smoke once during chemo, but I still managed to get the marijuana into my system. Dr. Gupta should know better.
The Nevada and Colorado marijuana initiatives have gained support from unlikely places. More than 33 religious leaders in Nevada have endorsed the measure, arguing that permissive legalization, accompanied by stringent regulations and penalties, can cut down on illegal drug trafficking and make communities safer.
And more support comes in all the time. Even though the propaganda keeps pouring into our brains. This article is a good example of that propaganda, or at least the result of that propaganda over 40 years. And one of the reasons legalization is getting such support is mentioned here — it will reduce illegal drug trafficking and the violence that goes with it. When’s the last time you heard of Mexican cartels fighting in the streets of Tijuana over shipments of tequila to San Diego?
Perhaps. But I’m here to tell you, as a doctor, that despite all the talk about the medical benefits of marijuana, smoking the stuff is not going to do your health any good. And if you get high before climbing behind the wheel of a car, you will be putting yourself and those around you in danger.
Smoking may be less than ideal, but that’s a reason to oppose smoking, not the legalization of marijuana. But that’s a good point to include in the last paragraph of this article. It’s fitting. It shows a lack of knowledge, a lack of understanding, and a complete lack of substantiated evidence. Hey, I agree that you shouldn’t be intoxicated behind the wheel, with pot or anything else. I don’t drive when I’m angry either. It’s hard enough to survive SoCal freeways as it is. So I guess the Doctor and I have found something we agree on. But I should point out that just last week a new study came out showing that drivers on pot actually did not drive any less safely than other drivers. Just slower and more carefully. And apparently they are statistically more likely to be playing reggae.
Please do yourself a favor and look deeply into propaganda like this when you see it. Whether you agree with me or agree with Sanjay, or you’re somewhere in-between, don’t be a sheep and just blindly follow. Question. Study. Learn. Discuss.
[Please note that you can learn more right here, at http://theplantrant.com. We don't sell anything! It's just free help.]
