CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta hasn’t always been okay with medical marijuana, but things changed when he researched the science, he said during an interview on Joe Rogan Experience on Wednesday.

But to find the science that ultimately convinced him of the therapeutic potential of cannabis, he had to look overseas, as there seemed to be a “very biased data set” in the United States that focused almost exclusively on cannabis. potential damage rather than the benefits.

“If you’re only looking at papers, well, this one [says there’s] potential long-term damage, this possible dependency, this bridge – you know, you see all these individual studies, but at a larger level, one step upstream, you realize that most of the funded studies are designed for the wrong, ”Gupta said.

“When I saw this, it was the first time I thought to myself, ‘Well, why are the studies being released, why are they all designed to look for damage? ” he said. “Then I started looking at other countries and doing some really good research on places like Israel in particular. “

Scientists outside of the United States were taking a different approach, investigating the potential therapeutic applications of marijuana for conditions such as pain and seizures. That, combined with witnessing the measurable impact cannabinoids have on children with severe epilepsy, changed Gupta’s view on the matter. And he took a bold step in 2013 by writing an article for CNN explaining why his perspective changed from being a cannabis skeptic to a supporter.

This was at a time when the first states were starting to legalize marijuana for adult use, forcing people to consider the implications of ending the ban and ending adult access to the plant. Reading an article by a renowned medical practitioner that questioned the tale that cannabis was all bad may have done a lot to change hearts and minds at a pivotal moment.

Prior to writing this editorial, Gupta also hosted a documentary series on CNN called “Weed” which also explored the science and real-world experiences of people who have seen dramatic health benefits from cannabis use.

Rogan told Gupta that he “really respects that you made this change of mind publicly.”

“When you first talked about marijuana, you talked about it like it had no medical benefit and was really just a recreational drug that maybe or probably was harmful,” said the podcaster. “But then, upon closer examination, you publicly changed your position, and in doing so, you actually looked at all of the scientific evidence.”

“I really admired that because it takes a lot of courage, because a lot of people, when they have an idea and they proclaim it publicly, they double down and they [use] confirmation bias and whatever, you know, the echo chamber and the sources of information that they can get to sort of confirm their original position, ”he said. “You didn’t, and I thought, ‘he’s a real, real person trying to honestly figure out what’s going on instead of just working to be right. “”

Rogan is well known as an advocate for drug policy reform, and he often takes the opportunity to discuss issues such as marijuana and psychedelics with guests on his podcast.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk got into hot water after smoking a blunt with Rogan in 2018, and he made another appearance on the show this year where he argued there was a hype. excessive media coverage on CBD, only to be challenged with science by the host.

In 2019, Rogan recalled once attending a movie premiere with comedian Dave Chappelle, who he said took magic mushrooms from a stranger before the feature film.

That year, former boxer Mike Tyson spoke with the podcast host about tripping over psychedelics and smoking marijuana.

In 2019, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke to Rogan about his support for the legalization of marijuana.

Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) participated in the podcast the year before and spoke at length about the need to legalize marijuana and reform the criminal justice system. Rogan also took the opportunity to tell him a little about the medical benefits of psychedelics.

The podcaster also debated the merits of legalizing marijuana with Republican Congressman Rep. Dan Crenshaw (D-TX), who ultimately agreed that medical cannabis should be federally legal and states should be empowered to define their own legalization policies.

Nevada sold over $ 1 billion worth of marijuana in a year, officials say