History of medical marijuana in the U.S.

By Steven Bartholow and Hoa Quach SDNN
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Cannabis patent medicine from the 19th century.

Cannabis patent medicine from the 19th century.

As far back as 1854, marijuana appeared in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, the country’s official standard-setting for prescription drugs. At the turn of the century – when it was estimated 5 percent of people were addicted to opiates – the American government turned its eye toward drug addiction.

In 1914, the first federal drug laws were passed, making opiates and cocaine illegal.

After years of government propaganda – like the well-known film “Reefer Madness” – Americans began to equate marijuana with harder drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.

Marijuana was targeted and banned in a 1937 federal law, despite the protest of The American Medical Association. The AMA told Congress it did not “know of [any] evidence that marijuana is a dangerous drug” and warned that a prohibition “loses sight of the fact that future investigation may show that there are substantial medical uses for cannabis.”

Later, a number of peer-reviewed studies – including one commissioned by The Office of National Drug Control Policy and conducted by the Institute of Medicine in 1997 – concluded that marijuana is a safe and effective medicine that qualified patients should have safe access to.

In 1996, California and Arizona legalized the use of medical marijuana; since then, 11 states have done the same. The following is a timeline of milestones in the history of marijuana in the U.S.

- 1854: The U.S. Dispensary lists cannabis compounds as suggested remedies for a multitude of medical problems.

- 1937: Twenty-three states outlaw marijuana.

- 1937: The federal government passes the Marijuana Tax Act, which makes non-medical use of marijuana illegal, and makes it so difficult to obtain that it essentially ended its medical use.

- 1942: Marijuana is removed from the U.S. Pharmacopoeia list.

- 1950s: Congress passes the Boggs Act and the Narcotics Control Act, creating mandatory sentences for marijuana possessors and distributors.

- October 1970: Marijuana is listed in federal law as a Schedule I substance which has no accepted medical use.

- November 1976: In the People v. Randall, it is ruled that Randall’s use of marijuana constituted a “medical necessity.”

- 1978: As a result of the People v. Randall, a program was devised to allow patients to receive medical marijuana from the U.S. government.

- 1991: The federal Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program for medical marijuana was suspended.

- 1996: California Proposition 215 allows for medicinal marijuana use.

- 2003: California Gov. Gray Davis signs into law Senate Bill 420 and the Medical Marijuana Program is devised.

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4 comments


Comment by: Undercover operation nets medical marijuana patients Posted: June 3, 2009, 4:57 pm

[...] Collectives offered an alternative. Read the History of medical marijuana in the U.S. [...]

Comment by: TakeAction! Posted: June 6, 2009, 12:39 am

MEDICAL MARIJUANA SUPPORT RALLY!
Be there or be square!!!!!!!
June 16th at the San Diego County Building on Harbor Drive, 8:00am
This will be the first County Board of Supervisors meeting since the United States Supreme Court has made it clear:
San Diego must follow state law!
Dont let them tell you this was only about cards.
This was a clear multimillion dollar attempt to overturn state law.
LET US STAND TOGETHER AND DEMAND OUR RIGHTS!!!!!

Comment by: Marijuana advocates rally at county building Posted: June 16, 2009, 1:26 pm

[...] Links: Undercover operation nets medical marijuana patients | History of medical marijuana | Surfboard marijuana smuggler busted at Imperial Beach | Border busts nabs more than a ton of [...]

Comment by: Allen Ronner Posted: June 23, 2009, 11:00 pm

THERE ARE OVER 20,000 MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS IN SAN DIEGO. WHY AREN’T YOU PEOPLE PAYING ATTENTION! GET INVOLVED!
Quietly, and so nobody would notice, a law was passed in San Diego today banning dispensaries.
Start paying attention before you are attacked by the SDPD and hauled off to prison. Oh, don’t make the mistake of YOU following the law in San Diego will save you. If we as a community do not start banding together and forming a political presence we are doomed. END OF STORY!

Item 20 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, June 23, 2009

20. SUBJECT: PROHIBITING MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA (DISTRICTS: ALL)
OVERVIEW:
Recently, the United States Supreme Court denied the County’s petition requesting the Court to consider the County’s lawsuit related to the conflict between federal and state law on the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes. The sale and use of marijuana is illegal under Federal law for any purpose. However, marijuana use is allowed under State law when it is being used for certain medical purposes. Due to the Supreme Court’s denial of the petition, the County will be issuing medical marijuana ID cards beginning July 2009. The purpose of the State law relating to identification cards is to allow qualified patients to apply for and receive medical marijuana identification cards.

The for-profit sale of medical marijuana is illegal. In an effort to protect unincorporated neighborhoods from the serious negative impacts which medical marijuana dispensaries may cause, action is needed to make certain that the County’s Zoning Ordinance is clear regarding their establishment. The proliferation of these dispensaries is a threat to public safety, public health, and community character. Today’s action will direct the Chief Administrative Officer to work with County Counsel to draft an ordinance for the Board’s approval prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries from operating within the unincorporated area.

If you want to read it for yourself this is the link:
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/bos/agenda/index.doc

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