Medical Marijuana Smackdown: Grinspoon vs Berenson
A Debate Recap
A few days ago, I wrote a hype piece for a debate between two big names in the world of medical marijuana, Dr. Peter Grinspoon and Alex Berenson. You can read my full preview here, but I’ll give you a a very quick overview: Berenson is the author of the highly publicized book Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence. His opponent, Dr. Peter Grinspoon, is a physician in favor of medical marijuana. The topic of the debate was Berenson’s argument that legalization of cannabis will lead to an increase in violent crime and homicide. I was pretty pumped about this debate going into it, and while there weren’t quite the fireworks I had anticipated, it definitely had its tense moments.
There’s a lot going on in this debate that I want to talk about. Too much for a single, coherent piece. So today I’ll focus on my overall impressions, who did well and who fell apart, and who I thought came out looking the best. Later pieces will take on the actual content of the arguments themselves. And with that out of the way, let’s get to the action!
Opening Rounds - Alex Berenson
Berenson was arguing in the positive, so he got to go first. In my preview, I said his two main strengths would be his utility with words and his…
