What do Karl Marx, marijuana science and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta have in common?


All were topics of conversation when The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim spoke to Ezra Klein[1] on MSNBC's "All In" on Thursday about Gupta's recent reversal of his stance on marijuana[2] .


In a CNN column titled "Why I changed my mind on weed[3] ," Gupta explored the discrepancy between the Drug Enforcement Administration's classification of marijuana and scientific studies supporting the drug's benefits. Gupta, who is releasing a documentary[4] on the subject, apologized for misleading the public about marijuana in the past.


"I think we've been terribly and systematically misled in this country and I did part of the misleading," said Gupta[5] . "I took the DEA at their word when they said it was a Schedule 1 substance and it has no medical applications. There was no scientific basis for them to say that."


On "All In" Thursday, Klein noted the widespread acceptance and use of marijuana -- including by a young President Barack Obama -- and criticized the Obama administration's discouragement of marijuana research.


"Has the science here actually changed?" Klein asked Grim. "When somebody like Dr. Gupta comes on, is this in reference to new findings or are we accessing old findings?"


"No, this is politics," said Grim. "[Gupta] admits that this is not the result of new science having been created. It's the result of him, he says, looking at some of the science that had been done."


In the segment, Grim and Klein discussed their predictions for marijuana law going forward, the Obama administration's crackdown on users and Karl Marx. And Klein used the word "schwaggy" on national television.


Watch it all in the clip above.



Also on HuffPost:




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  • $13.7 Billion Saved On Prohibition Enforcement Costs


    The government would save an estimated $13.7 billion on prohibition enforcement costs and tax revenue by legalizing marijuana, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/17/economists-marijuana-legalization_n_1431840.html" target="_hplink">according to a paper endorsed by 300 economists</a>.




  • Marijuana Inmates Cost Prisons $1 Billion A Year


    Inmates incarcerated on marijuana-related charges cost U.S. prisons $1 billion annually, according to a 2007 study, <a href="http://www.alternet.org/rights/47815/" target="_hplink">AlterNet reports</a>.




  • Marijuana Prohibition Costs Taxpayers $41.8 Billion A Year


    Including lost tax revenues, a 2007 study found that enforcing the marijuana prohibition costs tax payers $41.8 billion annually, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2007/09/29/marijuana-laws-work-biz-cx_qh_1001pot.html" target="_hplink">Forbes</a> reports.




  • California Marijuana Crop Worth $14 Billion A Year


    Marijuana growers account for <a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1884956,00.html" target="_hplink">$14 billion a year in sales in California</a>, making it the state's most valuable cash crop, TIME reports.




  • Illegal Marijuana A $36 Billion A Year Industry


    It's estimated that <a href="http://madamenoire.com/106691/capitalizing-on-the-billion-dollar-marijuana-industry/" target="_hplink">illegal marijuana is a $36 billion industry</a> in the U.S., MadameNoire reports.




  • One-Third Of Americans Think Legalization Would Boost The Economy


    About one-third of Americans say they think <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/20/legalizing-pot-will-not-b_n_544526.html?" target="_hplink">legalizing marijuana would boost the economy</a>, according to a 2010 poll by Associated Press-CNBC.




  • Dispensary Ads Boost Newspapers' Revenue


    The <em>Sacramento News and Review</em> saw a big boost in ad revenue when it offered advertising space for more than 60 medical marijuana dispensaries, enabling the publication to hire three additional employees, <a href="http://www.news10.net/news/local/article/144285/2/Marijuana-ads-mean-big-money-for-weekly-newspaper" target="_hplink">according to News 10</a>.




  • Mendocino Zip Tie Program Raised $600,000


    Mendocino County, California's zip tie program aimed at regulating medical marijuana growing by charging permits for each plant raised <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/09/medical-marijuana-license-mendocino_n_1193198.html" target="_hplink">$600,000 in revenue in for the Sheriff's department</a> in 2011.




  • Oakland Raised More Than $1 Million In Marijuana Tax Revenue


    The city of Oakland, California raised $1.3 million in tax revenue from medical marijuana dispensaries in 2011, 3 percent of the city's total business tax revenue, according to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/cities-turn-to-a-crop-for-cash-medical-marijuana.html?_r=1" target="_hplink"><em>The New York Times</em></a>.




  • Colorado Pulls In $5 Million From Pot Sales Tax


    In 2011, Colorado pulled in $5 milllion in sales taxes from medical marijuana businesses, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/cities-turn-to-a-crop-for-cash-medical-marijuana.html?_r=1" target="_hplink"><em>The New York Times</em></a> reports.




  • Legal Marijuana Could Be $100 Billion Industry


    Economist Stephen Easton estimated in 2010 that <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2010/03/legalize_mariju.html" target="_hplink">legal marijuana could be a $45 to $100 billion industry</a>, <em>Bloomberg Businessweek</em> reports.




  • Each weGrow Center Creates 75 Jobs


    When hydroponic marijuana growing supply chain weGrow opens a new store it <a href="http://aznow.biz/small-biz/wegrow-phoenix-opens-cultivates-opportunities-arizona)" target="_hplink">creates an estimated 75 jobs</a> indirectly, according to AZBusiness Magazine.




  • Majority Of States Support Taxing Marijuana


    More than <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/20/legalizing-pot-will-not-b_n_544526.html?" target="_hplink">60 percent of states agree with taxing marijuana</a>, according to a poll by Associated Press-CNBC.




  • Marijuana Affects Workplace Motivation


    A Norwegian study 25 years in the making came to the shocking conclusion that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/24/marijuana-use-has-adverse-affect-workplace-motivation_n_1300278.html?" target="_hplink">frequent marijuana use lowers employees' motivation at work</a>.




  • More Than 1,000 Dispensaries In California


    There could be more than 1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries operating in California, <a href="http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/how_does_your_pot_grow/8070/" target="_hplink"><em>Pasadena Weekly</em></a> reported in 2009.




  • Denver Counts More Dispensaries Than Starbucks


    As of July 2011, the city of Denver <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/06/medical-marijuana-denver-starbucks_n_891796.html" target="_hplink">counted more medical marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks franchises</a>.