What was the historical status of Marijuana before it became illegal?

Factual Questions
1

Way back before pot became illegal how was it considered? Public nuisance, herbal goodness, good ground cover, more or less ignored? What?

2

The plant was mainly used for fiber for ropemaking and linen manufacture. It was also used in America as a tincture for painkilling properties, and portions of it were either smoked or eaten for recreational purposes, among which was the resin, which, when seperated from the plant, is known as “hashish”, from the Arabic.

3

By whom? Mexicans, Americans, Indians, British, scientists?

4

It depends on when you’re talking about, anytime over a period of thousands of years.

5

A hundred years ago, remedies were sold without a prescription, and most of them were opiates (lots of children were put to bed with a dose) or cannabis products. One of the most popular cannabis products was Lydia Pinkham’s, sold for “female problems” among other things. One can imagine how a slug of alcohol and cannabis would help a bout of PMS.

6

wasn’t there a goverment requirement for landowners to place a certain percentage of there farmland to hemp production for military, esp. naval use? Granted, hemp and bud production are diametrically opposed
Larry

7

In the United States the psychoactive properties of marijuana weren’t really tapped in to that much by most Americans. Native Americans had for many years in some parts of the country used the plant psychoactively.

Primarily through the mid/late 19th century marijuana was used medicinally as a pain reliever. By the time it was made illegal this use had already pretty much died as it was being replaced with painkillers that we’re more familiar with today. Like a lot of 19th century over the counter remedies it was a relic of the past until being revived in the 1920s-1930s for recreational purposes.

The term marijuana (in America) appears to have been popularized during that time replacing hemp and cannabis as the more common terms, from what I understand it was labelled marijuana because associating it with Spanish and Mexico was thought to make it seem more unsavory to the public at large.

8

From the BBC: " Jesus Christ and his apostles may have used a cannabis-based anointing oil to help cure people with crippling diseases, it has been claimed."

9

THC operates transdermally? Interesting.

10

read the book " The Emperor Wears No Clothes " by Jack Herer , is good history primer. Also "The Botony of Desire, by Micheal Pollen

11

“Listen to Jesus, Jimmy” [Reefer Madness: The new hit musical, 2005].

Here’s kind of a catch-all link-farm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana

Anyway, from the many refs I’ve seen recently, Marijuana (or Cannibis) was like any other undustrial plant - really not much different than tobacco. I suppose that the biggest difference would be that nicotine (in tobacco) is a stimulant while THC (in marijuiana) is a depressant.

I do remember seeing some mention somewhere (don’t remember where exactly) that William Randolf Hearst had investments in a lumber company that were being squashed by hemp production and produced the “Reefer Madness” headlines, based on a short film made by a fundamentalist religious group. [Here’s a popular link, Reefer Madness!: William Randolf Hearst Essay ]

Is it more psychoactive than alcohol?!? I knew a couple of people in distant years past who have “hit the silly weed”, and I don’t remember any of them reporting any immediate psychoactive effects… ok, granted a hint of nervousness after the high is long gone and “munchies”… and, I suppose I’ve seen hate-filled youths (ok, mid-20’s) calm down dramatically after a smoke… ok, maybe psycho-active. :slight_smile:

12

It operates through the joints. :smiley:

13

[slight hijack]
Is Cannabis considered a depressant?
[/slight hijack]

14

I think I pulled that off a UK or Canada site. Since scientific research on Marijuana is illegal in the US, I figure that can’t trust what I see on any US site on the matter.

A few refs:

Anyway, I can’t claim first-hand knowledge - having never actually smoked it directly. However, like I said, I have watched anger and undue graduate school stress disappear off a man’s face like water evaporating off a warm hot-plate, after a good smoke. Wikipedia claims that it is primarily a psychadelic, which I suppose it is in part - these same people began studying when their brains were stress-pulp 30 mins before… but the other depressive effects were definitely showing signs.

15

I have read or heard from several sources that Queen Victoria used marijuana to relieve menstrual cramps.