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MARIJUANA PART ONE: HISTORY AND HEALTH EFFECTS

© Shelley Wake

Marijuana has a history of being known as a treatment effective in a range of conditions. The health benefits of marijuana were discovered before many of the more common drugs, such as aspirin were available. At this time, marijuana came along as an alternative to opium-based drugs. Compared to the opium-based drugs marijuana was much less toxic and had much fewer side-effects.

With new technology and new drugs the medicinal interest in marijuana almost stopped.

In 1937 the Federal Bureau of Narcotics essentially made it impossible to grow, use, sell or experiments with marijuana. And so marijuana was almost struck off the list of potential medically beneficial products.

Today, there are some studies continuing into the use of marijuana. They are investigating the effectiveness of old uses for marijuana, the possibility of new uses and new ways to deliver the medical benefits to patients.

But first, lets start back where it all started. Back to the days when marijuana was just surfacing as a plant of medical benefit.

The year is 1840. There are no large drug manufacturing companies. There is no drugstore on the corner filled with ample products you can choose from to treat any condition you may have. Your medicine options come from nature. You are in pain, your best option is an opium product, from the poppy. Along with the reduction of pain you experience psychotic effects.

Then a little plant called marijuana is found. It also delivers pain-killing effects but far lesser psychotic effects. From 1840 until 1900 there are many articles published each describing marijuana as effective against a range of complaints.

The most common use is as a pain killer or analgesic. Other uses include treatment of tetanus, migraines, depression and uterine dysfunction.

Marijuana was also reported in being useful in childbirth, both that it bought on contractions and that it reduced pain.

It has also been reported that it is effective as an anesthetic. Though it is also reported that it is more effective on horses than on people.

Then, from 1870 to 1900 a range of new drugs are discovered. These can be manufactured consistently by drug companies. These drugs are the new analgesics that we still use today. Things like paracetamol and aspirin. These drugs are produced in bulk, their effects are known and exact, they have been tested and approved for use. These new drugs replace marijuana as a medical treatment. And the medical interest in merijuana becomes only slight.

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