A Brief Medical Marijuana History
Medical Marijuana has been gaining more and more popularity over the decades, it is estimated that by the end of 2014 there were 60,000 registered patients which is almost one-third more, comparing to the previous years.
THE HISTORY OF MARIJUANA
It is believed that the history of marijuana goes back to 3000 BC, however; the first documented usage of cannabis comes from 2737 BC, from China. In early writings, marijuana was described as a tool to achieve euphoria, however, it did not take long for medics of that time to realize that it was also a perfect remedy for gout, malaria, rheumatism and absent –mindedness. All of that was documented during the rule of the Chinese emperor Shen Nung.
The Cannabis made its way to North America thanks to the Spanish who brought it to the English Colonies in the 1500s, and by the 1600s it was used alongside with Tobacco. It finally made its way to Canada in the 1800s.
LEGISLATION HISTORY
In 2014 the number of private growers who grew for themselves or others significantly declined as the phenomena of Licensed Producers with private facilities, prepared to grow multiple plants, became more and more popular. Right now there are 26 authorized licensed producers in Canada, a little over 50% of which is in Ontario, the second province with the largest amount of legal producers is British Columbia with 6 facilities in total.
The price of a gram of weed in 2014 average between $5 to $7.60, it is estimated that once the marijuana market is going to settle down in the economy in several years, the price of a gram of cannabis will go up to $8.70. For the same amount of dried marijuana on the black market you would pay around $10 to $15.
In 2014 Health Canada received 1,100 applications from perspective producers. Out of that number over 600 have been returned as incomplete, more than 200 have been rejected and 35 decided to withdraw the application, at the end of the year, there were only 13 left that are still awaiting the final decision of approval.
MEDICAL FACTS
Today, medical marijuana is used as a pain relief medication for people with chronic pain illnesses, it is estimated that over 25% of people over 35 suffer from chronic pain, and cannabis may bring substantial relief to the pain.
Marijuana is commonly used to help with the nausea and vomiting for patients that have undergone chemotherapy.
Another very common usage of medical marijuana is for the HIV/AIDS and cancer patients, the cannabis helps to improve the appetite which is crucial in the treatment, stimulation of food intake helps the patients to rebuild muscle and weight loss.