A History of Medical Marijuana in the U.S.

1850 — Marijuana is added to the U.S. Pharmacopeia. The Pharmacopeia was a public standards-setting authority for all types of medicines. According to the book’s authors, marijuana can be used to treat neuralgia, tetanus, typhus, cholera, rabies, dysentery, alcoholism, opiate addiction, anthrax, leprosy, incontinence, gout, convulsive disorders, tonsillitis, insanity, excessive menstrual bleeding, and uterine bleeding. 1911 — Massachusetts becomes first state to outlaw cannabis. 1936 — All states have banned marijuana. Aspirin, morphine and opium-derived drugs take the place of marijuana in people’s medicine cabinets. 1937 — American Medical Association publicly supports more research into the medicinal benefits of marijuana. 1942 — Marijuana is removed from the U.S. Pharmacopeia 1944 — The landmark LaGuardia Report conducted by the New York Academy of Medicine finds that many of the claims about the dangers of marijuana are exaggerated. 1964 — THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana, is first identified. 1970 — Controlled Substances Act classifies marijuana as a drug with “no accepted medical use.” The classification blocks most medical research on marijuana in the U.S. 1976 — Federal court rules a Washington, D.C., man’s marijuana use is a medical necessity to treat his glaucoma. 1978 — Federal government starts the IND Compassionate Use Program. It supplies patients with medical marijuana. The program is terminated in 1992. 1980 — The government okays a synthetic-THC medicine called Marinol for sale. 1990 — Scientists discover cannabinoid receptor system in human brains and that THC binds with cannabinoid receptors. 1992 — Scientists discover endocannabinoid, the brain’s natural version of THC. 1996 — California becomes first state to legalize medical marijuana. While state law okays medical pot, the federal government does not. 1997 — The New England Journal of Medicine and the U.S. National Institute of Health call for marijuana to be reclassified to allow for research. 1998 — Presidents Ford, Carter, and Bush band together to urge voters to reject medical marijuana. 1999 — The Institute of Medicine publishes a comprehensive long-term study of medical marijuana’s effect on patients. The report is talking-point fodder on both sides of the debate. 2002 — A U.S. court of appeals rules the government can’t revoke a physician’s license for recommending marijuana. 2005 — Federal agents conduct their largest raid of medical marijuana dispensaries. In California, officers raid 13 dispensaries and seize an undisclosed amount of marijuana. No arrests are made. 2009 — U.S. attorney general says there will be no more raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. 2010 — South Dakota voters reject medical marijuana measure. 2011 — U.S. Department of Justice threatens to prosecute people involved in cultivation or distribution of medical marijuana. 2014 — With the legislation tucked deep into a spending measure, Congress ends federal government ban on medical marijuana. SOURCE: ProCon.org History of Medical Marijuana Timeline