US marijuana streak named after Indian American medical scribe

Indian American medical journalist Sanjay Gupta has had a strain of cannabis named after him since he suggested a relook at the use of medical marijuana changing his previous position on the controversial issue.

A Colorado medical dispensary named a new type of medical marijuana - Gupta Kush - after Gupta, CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, adding him to a list of celebrities including President Barack Obama who have namesake cannabis strains.

"Dr. Gupta's recent reporting on marijuana puts him at the forefront of the medical cannabis movement, and we thought what better way to honour his efforts than by giving him his own strain," said Jeff Kless, owner of Helping Hands Herbals Dispensary in Boulder, Colorado, in a media release.

"We'd like to ensure he remains part of the annals of cannabis culture, and now he will," he added.

Kless called naming a marijuana strain after Gupta as "our way of tipping our hat and honouring him for taking such a firm, science-based stance on behalf of marijuana as 'real' medicine".

"The political and health establishments now realise that cannabis has genuine medical benefits, which we've been saying for years," he said.

"Gupta Kush imparts a very relaxing state that calms the mind without compromising clarity. When the mind is quiet and happy, people allow themselves to heal. Medical marijuana helps that happen," Kless claimed.

Gupta Kush is an indica strain with its origins in the Hindu Kush mountains of South Asia, the reported birthplace of some of the world's oldest and most potent cannabis strains, according to the release.

It has a rich green colour hidden beneath a deep layer of trichomes, and a thick, hashy, floral taste. Onset is immediate and effects are long-lasting, it said.

Since publicly announcing his changed views on medical marijuana earlier this month, Gupta has inspired a more serious look at weed and even generated some pressure on Obama to re-examine his position on marijuana laws.

However, the White House last week indicated Obama isn't looking to change current federal laws relating to marijuana anytime soon in the light of Gupta's views.

Obama considered naming CNN's Gupta as surgeon general in 2009, but the neurosurgeon later said he withdrew his name so he could maintain his surgical career.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)