Pun alert: CNN got a ratings high on Tuesday night, thanks to Dr Sanjay Gupta's look at the new politics of pot. Special Weed 2: Cannabis Madness saw the cable news network's ratings spike in its ever-shifting 10 p.m. hour.
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Among viewers in the news demo of 25-54, CNN averaged 354,000 during the hour -- that's up nearly 300 percent from the time period's four-week average of just 121,000. Ten o'clock has been a tricky one for CNN. After swapping out repeats of Anderson Cooper 360, the hour has been grounds for primetime experimentation -- mostly for documentary specials.
Total viewers also swelled for the special. The network averaged 757,000, besting MSNBC for second-place status. (Weed 2 Cannabis Madness also ranked second in the demo, after Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity, besting MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell.)
Marijuana has been an increasingly popular topic on the cable news nets, with both Washington and Colorado recently voting to legalize the drug for recreational use.
