High hopes for cannabis

Almost half of the states of the US now permit cannabis to be used for medical purposes; the first, California, legalised it almost 20 years ago. The most recent additions, Maryland, Minnesota and New York, joined the roster last year.

Colorado went a step further in 2012, and legalised marijuana for recreational purposes, too, netting an astonishing US$44m in tax – when medical marijuana is added this comes to a total of about $76m. Recreational marijuana is now also legal in Alaska, Oregon and Washington. Numerous other states are also debating legalisation – and even in those states where it is illegal, the herbal scent of marijuana smoke is a common occurrence in public places, as marijuana is often the drug of choice in the light of the legal drinking age of 21.

Cannabis is first known to be have been used for its psychotropic properties in China 6,000 years ago

Cannabis is first known to be have been used for its psychotropic properties in China 6,000 years ago. Several species of the plant are used as drugs, with the most familiar, Cannabis sativa, happily growing in both temperate and tropical climates. Cannabis indica is also common; another strain, Cannabis ruderalis, has few of the psychogenic properties of C. sativa and C. indica.

There is evidence of modern therapeutic use back in Victorian times, when a British doctor working in India, William O’Shaughnessy, documented his observations on the plant’s use for purposes as diverse as pain relief and muscle relaxation, as well as its application as an anticonvulsant, appetite stimulant and antiemetic. These uses mirror many of those for which the drug is being employed medically today.

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