History of Marijuana

History of Marijuana

Marijuana has been used both recreationally and medicinally for

centuries. There are numerous accounts of its medicinal qualities in

multiple historical artifacts. Its use dates back to 2737 B.C. when the

Chinese emperor, Shen Nung, used it for medicinal purposes including

malaria, gout, poor memory, rheumatism, and analgesia (Carter et. al.,

2003). Eastern Indian documents, in the Atharvaveda, dating back to

2000 B.C. also refer to its medicinal use. The Jamestown settlers

cultivated hemp produced by the marijuana plant. They used these

fibers to make clothing, rope, and canvas because of its quality and

durability. Physicians in the 19th century were prescribing cannabis

as a pain reliever, an anticonvulsant, and for migraine headaches

(Doweiko, 2002). Following his work in India in the 1840's William

O'Shaughnessy introduced medicinal marijuana to the United Kingdom.

Queen Victoria used marijuana for dysmenorrhoea during the same time

period (Carter et. al., 2003).

Smoking marijuana recreationally began to spread in the United

States in the 1920's. It began to spread from Mexico and New Orleans

up the Mississippi river. Jazz musicians, labor workers, and river

boatmen were quickly taking to its euphoric effects (Gettman, 1995).

Smoking marijuana also became more popular during Prohibition when more

people began cultivation of the plant and importing it into the U.S. to

replace alcohol (Doweiko, 2002). In 1942, marijuana was removed from

the United States Pharacopoeia and the Federal Government began to

criminalize non-medicinal marijuana possession and use (Carter et al.,

2003). Marijuana became extremely popular in the 1960's and, today, is

considered the most widely used illicit drug in the world, Canada, and

the United States (Gettman, 1995).

Pharmacology and Chemistry of Marijuana

Cannabis is known to contain over 400 chemicals in which about 70

are classified as plant cannabinoids. The human body produces

naturally occurring cannabinoids. The cannabinoids are lipophilic.

Delta-8 and Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have been found to

produce most of the psychoactive effects of marijuana (Carter et al.,

2003). Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol appears to be the most abundant

cannabinoid and the main source of cannabis' impact. Cannabidiol is

the second most predominantly active ingredient. It becomes

Tetrahydrocannabinol as the cannabis plant matures and the T

etrahydrocannabinol then breaks down

into cannabinol Approximately 40 percent of the plant's resin in some

strains of cannabis are cannabidiol. Each cannabis strain differs in