In his defense, Dr. Frist made this statement in 2003, but there was already substantial evidence at that time that marijuana could be used medicinally for a variety of conditions. This type of thinking persists to this day, even though (as we previously wrote) the body of research affirming that marijuana is medicinally effective continues to grow.
Medical marijuana aside, Frist’s assertion that marijuana is a dangerous drug is inaccurate, dated, and stigmatizing. This is the type of thinking that has allowed our disastrous and wasteful drug war to continue, all the while keeping medical cannabis from those who could benefit from it.
