Marijuana has a long standing history of being one of the most controversial substances in America. While the history or the Cannabis plant indicates not only acceptance as a useful plant, but even advocated as a source of revenue and medicinal usage, much of the United States government propaganda over the last 100+ years has led Americans to accept very slighted and often false information about the plant and its uses. Based on the origin of the illegalization of marijuana and the inconsistent findings of its effects in comparison to other substances, both legal and illegal, marijuana should be decriminalized and treated as a recreational substance just as alcohol and tobacco are. The cultivation and utilization of the Central Asia native Cannabis plant dates back over 10,000 years when plants were cultivated for their hemp, a variety of the cannabis plant used for the fibrous content. The first evidence of medicinal use found comes from a Chinese health publication from the reign of Emperor Chen Nung of the Chinese Dynasty over 5000 years ago (Grinspoon & Bakalar, 1997). For thousands of years, the Cannabis plant was widely accepted in various cultures to be not only useful, but for many of those cultures it was a staple crop. Even in American history, hemp had its useful place and was advocated and cultivated by some of our Founding Fathers. American colonists planted the first hemp crops near Jamestown, Virginia in 1611 (Mehling, 2003). The hemp was used for a variety of textiles, including sails, ropes, maps and even clothing because of its durability and resilience to mildew. With the New Land having an ideal climate for the growing of the Cannabis plant, King James I of England mandated the cultivation and relied heavil... ... middle of paper ... ...paign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol: http://regulatemarijuana.org/facts Grinspoon, L., & Bakalar, J. B. (1997). Marihuana, The Forbidden Medicine. New Haven: Yale University Press. Institute of Medicine, Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Health. (1999). Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Mehling, R. (2003). Marijuana. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. Miron, J. A. (2005). The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition. Cambridge: Harvard University. ProCon.org. (2009, May 6). Medical Marijuana. Retrieved March 15, 2012, from ProCon.org: http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/ The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. (2003). NORML Report on Sixty Years of Marijuana Prohibition in the U.S. Washington, D.C.: The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Hemp was viewed as a threat to several competing industries which caused them to create a smear campaign against hemp. By associating hemp with marijuana and by creating the propaganda film “Reefer Madness” this caused hysteria amongst the population (History of Hemp, n.d.). Hemp prohibition started in the 1930s. Hemp was grouped under the umbrella of marijuana and effectively made illegal under the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act. Furthermore, In 1970 Industrial hemp was classified as marijuana under the Controlled Substance Act in spite of decades of government-funded research that identified industrial hemp to have a unique structure and function (Hemp’s History, n.d.). In spite of Hemp being illegal in America, Hemp is legally grown in about 30 countries around the world, with China and France as the leading producers of hemp. Canada our neighbor to the north legalized Hemp cultivation in 1998. Farmers, there must have a licensed and also grow approved low-THC seeds. Hemp grown in Canada has to be tested to ensure they contain less than 0.3 percent THC. This essay will
Marijuana in America became a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was openly sold in pharmacies in the late nineteenth century (“Busted-America’s War on Marijuana Timeline”). The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines marijuana as, “The dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other related compounds” (“DrugFacts: Marijuana”). It was not until the Food and Drug act of 19...
Hoffmann, Diane E., J.D. ". The New England Journal of Medicine” Medical Marijuana and the
Hong-En Jiang, et al. (2006). A new insight into Cannabis sativa. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 108 (3), 414–422.
“Marijuana, weed, flower, bud; call it what you will, but humans have been using cannabis for a millennium” (The Future of Weed: HIGH COUNTRY). In 2737 B.C., the Chinese used cannabis medicinally. It was seen as medication for rheumatism, gout, malaria, and absent-mindedness. It spread from China to India, Africa, and Europe by A.D. 500. This shows we have been consuming marijuana for a very long time. Indians and Muslims both used cannabis recreationally. It was actually the Muslims who introduced hashish to the world (History of Marijuana). Hashish is a potent form of marijuana where they take the resin from the flowers of the plant (Hashish). The trend spread to Persia (Iran), and then to North Africa (History of Marijuana).
Marijuana was a large part of culture throughout the entire world, it has been around for thousands of years and still continues to grow. Hemp was a large help with early American settlers, the hollow stalk was used to make clothing, rope and paper. Hemp was used well before this though, the Chinese used it to make fishing nets and bow strings for their archers. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who are considered to be forefathers for America, both grew hemp. Benjamin Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. Early drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on paper that was made of hemp. During World War II, the US supply of hemp was cut off by the Japanese, and the US Army and the Department of Agriculture promoted the “Hemp for Victory” campaign, which encouraged farmers to grow hemp for the cause of the war. Hemp was also used in making sails and ropes for ships. In 1937, the Marijuana
100–1000s A.D. — Cannabis was a popular folk medicine in Europe. It was used to treat coughs, tumours, and jaundice.
Marijuana is one of the oldest cultivated plants. (Nahas,1986) The first people to introduce the potential healing properties of marijuana were the Chinese. About five thousand years ago, the people of the plains of Central Asia began cultivating the plant for its oil and fiber. The United States was introduced to marijuana in the 16th century. It was brought over by the Spanish and British and used for its fiber. The plant’s intoxicating properties were only discovered in the late 19th century. It was used for the production of rope and cloth until the 20th century and now it is widely a drug used preferably for pleasure.
5. NORML Statement on the Medical Use of Marijuana. National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. 1 Dec. 1999 .
Cannabis has been known to man since as early as 7000 B.C. (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1619, the colony of Jamestown in Virginia passed the first cannabis-related law, stating that it is required for all farmers to grow cannabis sativa or hemp plant because of its strong fiber that they used to make rope, sails and clothing (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). During the 1800s, cannabis extract medicines were produced by American pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly, Parke-Davis and Squibb (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1910, in the Southwestern United States, Mexican immigrants introduced recreational use of cannabis, in which the immigrants referred to as “marihuana” (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1915, Utah was the first state to pass an anti-marijuana law, then twenty-nine other states followed (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1922, the Narcotic Drug Import and Export Act was enforced to control any cannabis going in or out of the U.S. (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1930, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was created (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In the 1960s, “hippies” smoke marijuana, which symbolized rebellion (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1968, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and the Bureau of Dangerous Drugs merged into the Bureau...
“From the sites where prehistoric hunters and gatherers lived, to ancient China and Viking ships, Cannabis has been used across the world ages.” Cannabis is one of the oldest, most cultivated crops known to mankind. It has been noted to have psychoactive properties which are said to produce a dopamine related high, leaving one feeling giggly, hungry and in need of a good night's sleep. There are three different types the of Cannabis plant; Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Ruderalis all of which have different uses which took hundreds of years to be fully explored. Many materials can be derived from hemp; cloth, oil, foods and solid materials for building and healing properties. Marijuana is thought to have flourished in the nutrient
Stanley, Janet E., Stanley J. Watson, and John A. Benson. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington D.C.: National Academy P, 1999.
The legalization of marijuana has been strongly debated since the 1920s and 1930s, when it was first recognized as a dangerous drug, and tabloid newspapers popularized exaggerated stories of violent crimes allegedly committed by immigrants intoxicated by marijuana (Grinspoon, Marihuana Reconsidered 118). In 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act was signed to prohibit the use of marijuana because marijuana supposedly caused violent crimes, “sexual excess,” addiction, and led to the use of harder drugs (Grinspoon, Marihuana Reconsidered 118). In the 1970s, the government created the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the effects of marijuana (Weir 26). The NIDA published many claims concerning marijuana use, but they did not have evidence to support their claims (Weir 26). This misinformation and the government’s campaign against marijuana made the legalization of marijuana impossible.
Kadijatu Kanu06/04/2018The Quest for Legalized MarijuanaMarijuana has been stigmatized as a bad/ gateway drug for decades in our society, but it can be the exact opposite. The cannabis plant has had great material usage since its discovery thousands of years ago, especially the cultivation of hemp. Marijuana has far fewer harmful consequences compared to other legal drugs, and illicit substances. Society is becoming more informed about the benefits of medical marijuana. Hemp was probably the earliest plant cultivated for textile fiber. Hemp is also believed tobe the oldest example of human industry. In the Lu Shi, a Chinese work of the Sung dynasty (500AD), we find reference to the Emperor Shen Nung (28th century BC) who taught his
The history of marijuana in North America is integral in understanding the reasons it is now illegal and how today's policies have evolved. It is important to look to the past and see factors leading to the outlawing and criminalization of marijuana-especially the stages of misinformation, silence, and the imposition of zero tolerance or severe penalties for such victimless crimes -before looking at the effectiveness and future of these policies. While marijuana was not actually outlawed until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 it was a part of the country and society since before the arrival of its current transplanted inhabitants. Hemp is the name of a species of Cannabis that has been used throughout history for many things including rope, clothing, medicine, oils and other such novelties. Marijuana and hemp are both of the species Cannabis Sativa and occur naturally along with a score of other variations of the plant. Marijuana is simply a form of hemp that is higher in delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana's naturally occurring psychoactive chemical. Today we hear many nicknames for marijuana including: weed, pot, budda, grass, and bud to name a few. Marijuana has long been used by the indigenous peoples of North and South America for many things, from medical to religious purposes. Of course a select few Europeans exploited narcotics and different types of marijuana. However, in Europe it was not a widespread phenomenon, and neither was it from the time of colonization or even industrialization in America. It was not until the era of the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution, known as prohibition, that marijuana became a widely used substance in the U.S..