A Look Back at the Legalization of Medical Marijuana in the United States

In ancient China, people reportedly consumed cannabis (popularly known as marijuana) to achieve “a feeling of great happiness and well-being”. The United States was not so welcoming of the use of this substance, however. In fact, President Franklin Roosevelt made the ban official on August 2, 1937 when he signed into law federal legislation that prohibited the use, production, and sales of marijuana.

Things changed in 1988 when Francis Young of the Drug Enforcement Administration granted a request from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws to permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes, such as pain relief. Ten years later, the states of Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona allowed the use of medical marijuana. After that, 15 more states followed suit, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

While medical marijuana is legal in the aforementioned states, patients still need to acquire a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner before they can access this substance. Patients need to buy from a dispensary that demonstrates full compliance with all laws pertaining to medical cannabis. In addition, only personnel who are trained to provide information and advice are authorized to dispense medical marijuana.

Medical Marijuana: From Flower Power to Medical Power

At the height of the Vietnam War during the 1960s, many U.S. campuses became restless grounds of student activism. They all had one message in common: to put an end to the conflict that has wasted so many American lives and resources. Amid all this turmoil, there appeared a countercultural movement known as the hippies who whore flowers in their hair and adopted cannabis or marijuana as one of their symbols.

The hippies became a largely anti-establishment youth revolution that blossomed in the U.S. and soon spread to rest of the world. The Beatles, Britain's iconic rock and roll group, even became associated with the movement at one point. While the hippies mainly used marijuana as a recreational drug, it has in fact been recognized for its medicinal benefits for thousands of years, and advocates of medical cannabis have since pushed for its inclusion in treatment for pain, nausea, insomnia, lack of appetite, and even alcohol abuse.

Today, California and 17 other states (including the District of Columbia) have legalized the regulated medical use of marijuana. Scientific research has since proven its efficacy in treating health issues ranging from migraine to AIDS. Responsible and regulated use of cannabis can go a long way in ensuring the success of various treatments.