History of Medical Marijuana 2/2 After World War II, medical research on cannabis was largely suppressed due to political and social stigma. However, in the 1960s and 1970s, scientific interest in me
The history of medical cannabis has deep roots. Do you know where the first mentions of this beneficial herb come from? Why was it always so significant for medicine, or which civilizations used it most often? And what is the current state of cannabis? We'll explore this and much more in today's article...
Origin of Marijuana and Historical Context
Cannabis was originally found only in Western and Central Asia. Later, however, it spread throughout the world.
Marijuana has deep roots in Indian culture, where it existed between 2000 and 1400 BCE. Marijuana remains were even found in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses II (around 1200 BCE). Greeks and Romans were also aware of marijuana's effects and used cannabis as a medicine.
In Western European countries during the Middle Ages, technical hemp was mainly used for making ropes, clothing, and wind barriers. Cannabis became known as a stimulant in modern Europe. The 20th century in the USA marked the beginning of a notorious negative perception, despising it as a drug and viewing it with disdain.
In Europe, technical hemp was primarily used, for example, for making ropes.
Biological Origin of Cannabis: Where to Classify It?
For a long time, it was unclear which family to assign cannabis to. Initially, marijuana was placed in the Urticaceae family, which includes nettles, and later in Moraceae. Now, however, cannabis is in its own special Cannabinaceae family.
This family has only two known species. The first is cannabis, and the second is the well-known Czech crop - hops. They share some effects, such as calming and soothing. They also share the distinctive fragrant terpene humulene, which gives some cannabis varieties their characteristic scent.
Current History of Medical Marijuana
Marijuana as a medicine became known in the Western world during the 19th century. It was primarily used as a pain relief medication until the invention of aspirin.
Modern medical and scientific research began with doctors O'Shaughnessy and Moreau de Tours, who used marijuana to treat melancholy, various types of migraines, and as support for insomnia, as an analgesic, or as an anticonvulsant.
With the emergence of marijuana as a medicine, local authorities introduced various laws for cannabis-containing preparations. If not sold by prescription, they had to be labeled with warning labels under the so-called poison laws. A Swedish lexicon published in 1912 describes the drug and marijuana extract as a now-forgotten medical treatment method.
