Medical Marijuana

The term "marijuana" is a word with no distinct origin. Most believe it came from the Mexican words for "Mary Jane" but no one knows for sure because it has been around for over 5,000 years. It has been grown for fiber and as a source of medicine for thousands of years, but until 500AD its use as a drug was confined to a few countries. However, with an increase in trade it eventually reached the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and eventually made it's way to North America where it was at one time illegal to not grow. Even after being made illegal by the federal government marijuana is still around and is still being prescribed by many doctors, especially in California. The health benefits of Marijuana are amazing and have been proven time and time again by its ability to survive throughout history; it's preference by patients, and by statistics proven by scientists.

*The use of marijuana has been dated back nearly 5,000 years and it has been widely recognized for it's physiological and psychological effects throughout the world. The earliest description that we have was in China in the year 28 B.C. where the emperor Shen-Ning used it for gout, malaria and rheumatism. Since then there is recorded use in Egypt, India, Greece and Africa. And as trading grew so did the use of marijuana. *Even Napoleon's army used marijuana to treat burns after returning from Egypt, which drew wide attention to this drug throughout Europe. As soon as it spread to the United States in the late 1800s it was immediately recommended for one disorder after the other by such organizations as the Ohio State Medical Society. However, after the Marijuana Tax Act was passed in 1937 it became almost impossible for physicians to obtain and prescribe it to their patients.

Despite the fact that marijuana was made illegal in 1937, research has continued and researchers have found various possible medical uses for it. In the last few years it has been found that THC, a naturally occurring chemical in marijuana, is very similar to a chemical in the body called anandamide, which involves pain control, memory and cognition, motor functioning, nausea and vomiting, and internal eye pressure. Because of this marijuana is now being scientifically proven to help the illnesses and ailments that people have been using it for all of these years. For example, since marijuana has been proven to decrease pressure in the eye by 30%, it can benefit people with glaucoma, a disease of the eye in which increased pressure can cause blindness. And in an experiment on rats it was found to have possibilities of being an antibiotic for skin infections if applied externally as a paste. Marijuana is also a known to increase appetite, and that has been known to help with eating disorders such as anorexia and with cancer patients whose appetites decrease with treatment. One of the major reasons cannabis cards are prescribed is for cancer patients. Along with a loss of appetite, people who go through chemo therapy often experience nausea and vomiting, which marijuana has been proven to help alleviate. Just like with AIDs. Although there is no cure, sufferers have been know to use marijuana to help deal with nausea and chronic pain. And according to the New York AIDs Coalition: "Among physicians specializing in AIDS/HIV, there is a widespread acknowledgement that marijuana represents a significant treatment component for those who have advanced HIV symptoms, as well as for those with symptoms