In China, we have known about the euphoric and therapeutic properties of marijuana for 3000 years, and even for 6000 years, according to some sources. These uses are found later in India, the Middle East, Africa, Mexico and South America. In the 12th century, a British physician published in prestigious journals a series of articles extolling its virtues as a painkiller and antispasmodic, as well as its effectiveness in seizures.
In Europe as in America, artists find inspiration there and intellectuals appreciate its effects. Marijuana spreads and becomes more and more popular . too much in the eyes of the authorities who, from 1920, will crack down. Information about medical Cannabis is then found on the list of prohibited drugs in the United States, Canada, then in the “Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961”. Even today, it is a crime to produce, trade and own them.
Some authors believe that the paper (forestry industry) and cotton lobbies contributed to this ban, hemp fiber , which was then cultivated on large surfaces, constituting, it seems, a major competitor. to those of wood and cotton for the manufacture of paper and fabrics. These days, the law limits the THC content of hemp grown for these purposes to less than 1% . The fiber was also used in the manufacture of ropes, and the seeds are still used as food for birds in captivity. Hemp seeds and their oil have also found a niche in the human food market in recent years, as they are, in particular, a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
The recreational use of the plant having spread widely despite legal and administrative prohibitions, the question of its legalization has arisen in recent years. Because of some of its therapeutic uses (see the Research section), pressure groups are asking for its legalization or, at least, legal and regulatory changes that would allow patients to enjoy its benefits with confidence.
In Canada, on July 30, 2001, the Canadian government amended the “Narcotics Control Regulations”, which brought into force the ” Access to Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations “. These regulations have established “an exceptional framework to allow its use by people suffering from serious illnesses and where its use may have beneficial effects that exceed the risk”. All this provokes debates which are often more moral than public health. Doctors and researchers are divided as to the therapeutic uses of marijuana or its derivatives 1,2 .
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More generally, it is in the form of a cigarette – or joint – that we take marijuana. In this form, marijuana provides a quick , almost immediate effect that can last for two to four hours. When taken by mouth this effect may take 30 to 60 minutes to appear. On the other hand, it lasts longer
One joint contains approximately 750 mg of cannabis (according to data from the World Health Organization). Depending on the THC content of the marijuana used, a joint will therefore provide 7.5 mg to 225 mg of THC . Analyzes made following seizures of marijuana made by police and customs officials show that the average THC content of cannabis currently circulating in Canada is 10% . More rarely, cannabis is consumed in the form of cookies, each comprising 25 mg to 50 mg of dried cannabis powder, or the equivalent of 2.5 mg to 10 mg of THC.
Considered a psychoactive agent, cannabis appears to act on the central nervous system. In the light of the therapeutic virtues attributed to it by tradition and the experience of a growing number of users, we have sought to verify its effectiveness and understand its mechanisms of action. From this research it appears that the plant could be useful in relieving various health problems, but that it is not necessarily suitable for everyone and that, like any strong plant based medicine, the side effects it causes in some can counteract its curative effects
