CNN Trying to Stop Strain of Marijuana Being Named for Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Aug 26, 2013, 9:50 am EDT  |  By Burke Speaker, Investorplace Writer

A medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado is being told by CNN that its lighthearted humor in naming a strain of weed after Dr. Sanjay Gupta is no laughing matter.

The cable news giant, owned by Time Warner (TWX), spoke with the Boulder dispensary and asked that they rename the pot in honor of something other than their chief medical correspondent.

“We may have to change the name,” dispensary owner Jeff Kless told Animal New York. “CNN phoned us and asked us to remove it. I think we’ll leave it alone for the weekend and see what happens.”

CNN has not yet issued a cease and desist letter — which will likely cite copyright infringement.

For the time being, though, the Sanjay Gupta Kush is selling atHelping Hands Herbals Dispensary  for $35 for an 1/8 and $12 a gram. In the world of medical marijuana sales, it’s supposedly a deal.

According to the dispensary’s press release, “By naming a cannabis strain after Dr. Gupta, this is our way of tipping our hat and honoring him for taking such a firm, science-based stance on behalf of marijuana as ‘real’ medicine. He is confirming what our patients have been saying for years. Marijuana is hardly folk medicine.”

Willie Nelson and Barack Obama are other notables who have marijuana named after them.