History of Marijuana

History of Marijuana

Marijuana has been among people for centuries yet many people don’t understand where the drug originated how it was used in the early times and how it was perceived at that time. It grows as a weed and is a cultivated plant all over the world growing any many different environments, climates and soils. For thousands of years cannabis has been used for a variety of remedies. In the past the substance has been used as to heighten a person’s capability to feel, their creativity side, and provoking mystical expressions.

Marijuana was discovered in the Chinese manuscript as early as 2700 BC. Since then it’s made its way through Northern Europe, the Romans, and the Jewish. In the 13th Century the Arab traders brought Cannabis to the Mozambique coast of Africa. It wasn’t until 1545 until European settlers coming to the new world discovered the plant. Marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942 and was prescribed for various conditions including labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism. As time progressed later into the 20th century the Federal Bureau of Narcotic conducted campaigns to portray marijuana as a powerful, uncontrollable and addicting substance that would lead others into more serious narcotics. There are different debates on whether the substance is a gateway to other drugs.

After the prohibition in 1933, marijuana was still widely used all around the nation as well as other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and morphine. In 1937, 46 states prohibited the uses of marijuana along with other narcotic drugs. As marijuana became more popular the demand for the drug rose attracting new users. In the 1950’s and 1960’s college students and hippies were the most common users resulting in many riots and protests. From the 80’s to the 90’s a war on drugs was declared with a zero tolerance on drugs resulting with strict laws and mandatory sentences for the who smoke, posses, or traffic in marijuana. Since then many users have been teenagers who are in high school or in college who experiment with the drug. In 1994 an estimation of about 17 million people used the drug, however only 1.5 million of these users were reported to be regular recreational users. Even though marijuana is illegal in the United States, there were laws passed by eight states after 1996 that allowed the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Unfortunately medical users and doctors can still be punished by the federal law.


http://science.jrank.org/pages/4128/Marijuana-History.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0859487.html
http://www.concept420.com/marijuana_cannabis_history_timeline.htm