"The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" aired CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s “Weed 7: A Senior Moment” on Sunday, which looked at how seniors are safely and effectively using “more plants, fewer pills.”
Dr. Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent who has been creating documentaries on cannabis for a decade, admitted that in the beginning he was skeptical about its use as a medicine, but that has all changed.
“I came to the realization that in some cases, not only did cannabis provide relief, it was the only thing that did so,” Gupta said.
Baby Boomers Are On To Something
Gupta, associate prof of neurosurgery at Emory University Hospital, said part of the reason he decided to focus on baby boomers was a desire to explore if and how cannabis could decrease the number of medications seniors are taking.
Staggering Statistic
Gupta interviewed an otherwise healthy 94-year-old in Palm Beach who had suffered for years with terrible insomnia, not unlike one-third of the global population by the way. He began using cannabis when he was 91.
The man’s insomnia had gotten worse over the years and was exacerbated by nagging anxiety. None of the medications prescribed to him provided relief and made him groggy the next day.
“With cannabis, not only did his sleep improve for the first time, but his existential anxiety was also quieted,” noted Gupta, adding that cannabis was far more than a sleep supplement for the man, “it was the only thing that really worked.”
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Photo: CNN Twitter
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