Medicial Marijuana in History

It’s 2737 BC. A Chinese emperor Shen Nung is experimenting with a newly discovered herb, cannabis. He wrote that the  powerful herb possessed healing properties, and could help with illnesses such as rheumatism, gout, and malaria. He also went on to note the herbs intense psychological affect. That was the earliest  recorded record of the plant being used medicinally. Today however the plant is mostly illegal, although 18 states to date allow citizens to get a medicinal marijuana card, to administer the medicine legally.
Even though 2737 is the earliest recorded person to use the plant, it seems unlikely that it wasn’t used before then by people who discovered it’s uses. The cannabis plant has been known to alleviate many types of pain, from back pain to damaged nerves. It has been known to cure many diseases, from cancer to bipolar disorder. In the herb, there are 483 compounds. 80 of those 483 are referred to as cannabinoids, these cannabinoids are what largely comprises the medical aspects of the plant. The cannabidiol is the main medical compound in cannabis, it can relief convulsions, anxiety, inflammation, nausea and destroys cancer cells. It is also used as a powerful anti-psychotic, especially in cases of Schizophrenia.
However, due to the Marihuana tax act of 1937, recreational and medical use of the herb is illegal, and violation of this law could result in a $2,00 fine and 5 years in prison. That along with the controlled substances act and a few others have made marijuana harder to obtain than it had been in previous centuries. Although many people still smoke cannabis illegally, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in the past year alone 28 million people have smoked marijuana. And many of those smokers have obtained legal licenses to do so, but even more have been denied licenses or simply don’t apply.
On November 6th the voters of Colorado decided to make marijuana legal for recreational use in their state, Washington state was on board as well. Two months later, cannabis was officially legalized in both states, creating a great victory for cannabis smokers everywhere. According to a new article on the rolling stoned website, the next 7 states that are going for marijuana legality are Oregon, California,  Alaska, Nevada, Rhode Island, Maine, and finally Vermont. I envision a time, when this wonderful herb will be legal for everyone, everywhere.

Sources: http://www.marijuana-as-medicine.org/Alliance/facts.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_cannabis

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-next-seven-states-to-legalize-pot-20121218