Marijuana Debunked
Ed Gogek, M.D.

About the Author


Ed Gogek, M.D.


Ed Gogek is a psychiatrist with a special interest in substance abuse. In thirty years of practice, he has treated over 10,000 addicts and alcoholics in mental health centers, private practice, jails, prisons, homeless clinics, and many substance abuse treatment programs.

Besides practicing psychiatry, for three years in the mid-1990’s, Dr. Gogek and his journalist brother, Jim, wrote a column on the politics of mental health and addiction. It was carried on the New American News Service, a branch of The New York Times Syndicate. Dr. Gogek’s own op-eds have been printed in the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, Columbus Dispatch and several other U.S. newspapers.

In 2010, he worked with Keep AZ Drug Free, the committee opposing Arizona’s medical marijuana ballot measure. Lastly, in writing Marijuana Debunked, he drew on the experience of his own regular marijuana use for two years of his late teens back in the 1970s.

People often assume Dr. Gogek is politically conservative just because he’s anti-drug, but not at all. He cast his first vote at age eighteen for George McGovern and has voted nearly straight Democratic ever since. In 2006, he ran for state senate as a Democrat.

He voted for Bernie Sanders and loves Bernie’s quote that “democracy is not about billionaires buying elections.” After all, the pro-legalization movement was created and funded by a handful of pro-marijuana billionaires; without their money there wouldn’t be a single legalization or medical marijuana law anywhere in the country. Dr. Gogek believes it’s bad for the country when billionaires control either party, and especially bad when they use their billions to push drug legalization onto the entire nation.

Op-Eds by Ed Gogek

‘Medical’ marijuana a health risk for society. San Francisco Chronicle

Legalize drugs and wait for a bad trip. Baltimore Sun

Alcohol industry gets off lightly.   (I don’t just pick on marijuana.)

Nothing funny about comic strip character’s wasted life. Baltimore Sun

A Bad Trip for Democrats  New York Times

Medical pot laws harmful, unnecessary  Philadelphia Inquirer

Why Bernie Sanders is wrong about legal pot  Arizona Republic

Sanders sides with big money — the pot lobby   San Francisco Chronicle  or here

Why marijuana should remain illegal    Merced Sun-Star

Stop misleading on benefits of pot legalization  National Post (Canada)

To treat drug addiction, we’ll still need jail time  Newsweek

Marijuana and the media     TownHall.com

Pot-smoking journalists shouldn’t be writing about marijuana   Arizona Capitol Times

Pot taxes aren’t something to count on   San Jose Mercury-News

Marijuana industry wants profits, not public good   Prescott Courier

Letter: Prop 205 targets kids better than any drug dealer    Arizona Republic

Letter: Treatment for drug addiction should never include marijuana   Portland Press-Herald   

Marijuana is making the opioid epidemic worse   Prescott Courier

Radio Interviews

Radio Interview 9-18-15

      091815 doctor gogek

The Steven Spierer Show  Nov 14, 2015

WSIU with Jeff Williams  Nov 12, 2015

Jerry Agar Show CFRB  Toronto, Ontario  Nov 12, 2015

      Ed Gogek CFRB-AM Toronto, Canada Jerry Agar

Health Professionals Radio    Nov 30, 2015

Interview with Jay Lawrence on KTAR Phoenix   Oct 1, 2017

Challenging Opinions Podcast   July 2018

News Talk 103.7 with Michele Jansen  Chambersburg, PA   May 2019

Conference Speaker

The Marijuana/Opioid Connection: Separating myth from fact   Marijuana Harmless? Think Again Conference   Phoenix, Arizona  September 2017

Presentation to Indiana State Legislature Oct 18, 2018

Presentation to the Indiana State LegislatureHouse Public Health, Behavioral Health, and Human Services, Interim Study Committee Oct 18, 2018 from 1:31:49 to 1:56:25. To find video: Click Search for a meeting and click on Thursday Oct 18. My testimony begins at 1:31:49.

3-Hour Course on Marijuana given in Waterloo, Iowa  June 10, 2019