In today’s world, the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is a hot topic. It’s very controversial, with many arguing from all sides of the debate. Yet, the use of marijuana to treat health conditions and illnesses dates back centuries.

In today’s world, the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is a hot topic. It’s very controversial, with many arguing from all sides of the debate. Yet, the use of marijuana to treat health conditions and illnesses dates back centuries.

More than 400 years ago, cannabis was used to treat depression and stress relief in India. Specifically, CBD-rich medical marijuana has a long history of being used to treat health problems, including anxiety. The drug’s popularity as a medicine spread through Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Ancient physicians prescribed marijuana for everything – pain relief and even childbirth.

In the 18th Century, American journals began recommending hemp seeds and roots to treat inflamed skin and venereal disease. Queen Victoria used cannabis to help discomfort for menstrual cramps. An Irish doctor, William O’Shaughnessy, first popularized marijuana’s medical use in England and America. He found it to ease the pain and discomfort for nausea in cases of rabies, cholera and tetanus.

Yet, the increase in demands to feel the “high” produced by cannabis with stronger levels of THC eventually led to marijuana being used recreationally, as opposed to medically. For many years, marijuana production to increase the levels of THC led to the decrease in CBD levels to trace amounts.

The 19th Century increase in usage of morphine ultimately led to the U.S. government introducing the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, created by the Food and Drug Administration. Although it didn’t apply to the use of marijuana, it caused a major shift in the U.S. drug policy.
In 1914, the Harrison Act was created in the United States, which made drug use a crime. By 1937, 23 states had outlawed marijuana.

In 1937, the Federal Government passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which made non medical use of marijuana illegal.
By the 1970s, strong anti-drug policies were in full swing. Yet, in 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana use. A dozen states soon followed.

In 1998, the British government licensed GW Pharmaceuticals to grow cannabis and develop a consistent plant to extract use for clinical trails. GW’s co-founder Geoffrey Guy, MD, was convinced that by using CBD-rich plants, GW could make medicine of cannabis that had little or no psychoactive effect.

In 2009, medical professionals began to discover and test new strains with more CBD than THC. CBD-rich strains were generally not available to cannabis consumers across the United States at this time. Studies analyzed CBD-rich cannabis to determine the medical benefits and disadvantages for patients.

Today, many states across America have legalized the use of medical marijuana, but usage still remains illegal under U.S. federal law.

Worldwide, Uruguay became the first country to remove its prohibition entirely on marijuana in 2013. Colombia and Costa Rica have bills in Congress that would allow for medical marijuana usage. Jamaica recently passed a law to make it possible to supply marijuana for medical and religious purposes.