Last updated on:
2/2/2009 |
Author: ProCon.org
R. Balfour Sartor, MD Biography
- Title:
- Professor of Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Position:
- Con to the question "Should Marijuana Be a Medical Option?"
- Reasoning:
-
“Because IBD [Inflammatory Bowel Disease] is an illness that lasts a lifetime, patients and their physicians should concentrate on discovering the cause of symptoms and pinpointing a treatment that will control them without causing adverse side effects. Using a substance such as marijuana to alleviate symptoms only masks the actual problem.”
“Cannabis and IBD: A Fragile Connection,” Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America website (accessed Aug. 4, 2005)
- Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
-
Key Experts
Physicians [Physicians are the "key experts" in the medical marijuana debate because the issue is thought by many to be ultimately based on the medical value and risks of marijuana, and Physicians, with their training and clinical work, should (at least in theory) have the best knowledge of marijuana's medical value and risks.] [Note: Key Experts definition varies by sites that have this designation.] - Involvement and Affiliations:
-
- Professor of Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Chairperson Emeritus, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s National Scientific Advisory Committee
- “Basic Science on the Cutting Edge” Section Editor, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, the official journal of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America
- Education:
-
None found
- Other:
-
“Dr. Sartor’s research focuses on understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of chronic intestinal inflammation and associated extraintestinal manifestations.”
- Quoted in: