A QUICK PRIMER ON THE HISTORY OF CANNABIS
Cannabis has a long history of human use. Often grown in ancient civilizations for medicinal purposes, it has long been cultivated for practical uses as well. There is a piece of woven hemp clothing from Taiwan that dates back 10,000 years. Certain Hindu sects used cannabis for religious purposes as well as for stress relief. There are records of ancient healers prescribing cannabis for everything from pain relief to childbirth. The original plant evolved in Central Asia before being introduced to Africa and Europe. Eventually the plant made its way to the Americas with the colonists.
It’s important to note that cannabis and hemp are the same plant. Female plants are what we typically refer to as cannabis (the flowering plant) while male plants are what we typically refer to as hemp (ideal for fiber). Both are fast-growing crops which make them particularly useful for manufacturing products like ropes, paper, and clothing. This meant hemp was a versatile crop for many farmers over the centuries.
In the 1800s cannabis began weaving its way into medical literature in Europe as well as in America. Cannabis was primarily prescribed for those with stomach problems or other pain-related ailments. Injectable opium took its place in the mainstream medical community starting in the 1900s while cannabis started being more widely used for recreational purposes simultaneously.
Cannabis was a common sight in both the sugarcane fields of the Caribbean and crop-fields of Mexico. When the Mexican Rebellion of 1910 pushed people escaping hostilities into southwestern US states those states began enacting local laws banning use of cannabis. As many Jamaican and other Caribbean people made their way to New Orleans, they brought cannabis and the creativity associated with it into the burgeoning jazz scene. In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act passed as the first piece of nationwide legalization criminalizing cannabis. Meanwhile industrial hemp continued to be grown in the USA well into the 1950’s.
Much of the persecution of cannabis users has its origin in racist policy. The original laws were created to target Latinos and black jazz musicians. It’s racist origins are well documented with members of our government explicitly blaming people of color for the rise of cannabis use as well as blaming societal issues on use of the drug. These claims were unfounded.
Next, Vietnam War veterans brought cannabis use back to the USA with them. The full scale war on drugs began soon after, in the 1970s, attempting to quell the tide of cannabis use (to little effect). The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 was signed into law by President Nixon. He also repealed the Marijuana Tax Act and made cannabis a Schedule I drug. Much of this criminalization was intended to further criminalize black and brown communities.
In the medical sphere the fight for cannabis use continued. Cannabis has a recorded and researched history of treatment for glaucoma. Some patients were able to get special consideration from the federal government to use cannabis for treatment. At one point the government even provided cannabis to a few select AIDs patients to help with their symptoms. That program was discontinued by George H. W. Bush. Slowly, the cultural tides have turned regarding cannabis even as it remains federally illegal. Starting with California, states have legalized cannabis for medicinal use and decriminalized recreational use of the drug over the past three decades.
Cannabis’ Schedule I status has prevented much scientific research into the plant for many decades but the tides are changing here as well. In 2022, the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act became law moving us towards more comprehensive research and a better understanding of the plant’s side effects and benefits. Regardless of cannabis’ current legal standing the plant has a rich history of medicinal uses from helping with anxiety, depression, PTSD, glaucoma, cancer related pain/nausea, and treatment for seizure disorders. After all, cannabis is just a plant. It has been used by generations of people whether it was legal or illegal. Education, awareness, and safe use practices are all essential information as cannabis becomes a more accepted part of our society.