While cannabis and hemp seem rather new to us because of the recent ending of cannabis prohibition, cannabis has been used for about 10,000 years, where it was used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and also listed in the Chinese pharmacopoeia.
The pharmacopoeia is the official book in many cultures that lists medicinal compounds and their therapeutic use.
Cannabis was also listed in the United States Pharmacopeia up until 1942, for which it was then removed. This all took place shortly after the formation of the American Medical Association, which was in the late 1930’s (1).
Many will say that the AMA made cannabis illegal intentionally because this one plant has the potential to address over 200 chronic conditions, which was a huge threat to the AMA and their “medical” (or should I say business) model (2).
In the 1920’s American physicians in the United States wrote over 3 million prescriptions for cannabis for ailments ranging from pain relief (analgesic properties) to menstrual cramps (2).
Sir William Osler, one of the founders of John Hopkins School of Medicine, was also a believer in cannabis and he stated that cannabis was one of the best treatment options for migraines, which he had the treatment plan recorded in “The Principles and Practice of Medicine”, which was a book used for practitioners and students of medicine (2).
Another popular one was in the 1890’s when Queen Elizabeth was also taking advantage of cannabis on a regular basis for her menstrual cramps, which was prescribed to her by her royal physician Sir J. Russell Reynolds (2).
You see, cannabis has been used for thousands of years for its therapeutic benefits and it is nice to see that we are starting to incorporate it into medical practices again, because this plant is no stranger to our wellbeing.
We deserve the right to have access to this amazing, safe, and effective plant that has been used all throughout history.
Bee Well,
Brandon Farless
References
1. Bridgeman, M. B., & Abazia, D. T. (2017). Medicinal Cannabis: History, Pharmacology, And Implications for the Acute Care Setting. P & T : a peer-reviewed journal for formulary management, 42(3), 180–188.
2. Bearman, D., Pettinato, M., & Bacca, A. (2018). Cannabis medicine: A guide to the practice of Cannabinoid Medicine. Dr. David Bearman's Medical Practice.
