Then, in the 1990s, voter demand to legalize medical marijuana increased significantly. In effect, this federal program allowed Americans to receive up to nine pounds of cannabis from the government each year, in 1976.ĭespite this federal program, the vast majority of Americans found themselves shut out of access to marijuana. From that point on, cannabis was only legally available to a small number of patients through a federally organized program. With regard to the United States, marijuana has been long used. Cannabis was first described in ancient Chinese texts.Ĭhinese Emperor Shennong wrote about using cannabis in a book published in 2737 BC. How Long Has Medical Marijuana Been Around?Ĭannabis has been used since at least the time of ancient China. Both forms of cannabis, hemp and marijuana, have been shown to contain medically beneficial levels of differing cannabinoids, active compounds found in the cannabis plant. Hemp has 0.3 percent THC or less while the threshold for marijuana starts at a THC concentration of 0.31 percent or higher. The characteristic that defines marijuana from hemp is the content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound in cannabis that gets users “high.” Hemp is almost entirely devoid of THC but often high in another cannabinoid – cannabidiol (CBD). Two related but different plants, from the same “family.”
For a lot of people, the best way to think about cannabis is with an analogy: hemp and marijuana are to cannabis as lemons and oranges are to citrus. Cannabis is a category for a plant species that includes both hemp and marijuana. People often confuse the terms cannabis and marijuana. If you’re not treating ailments or conditions, marijuana can’t be labeled medical marijuana. Medical marijuana refers to using the whole cannabis plant, or the plant’s basic extracts, for the treatment of various ailments or conditions.
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