Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for millennia

As early as 2737 B.C., the mystical Emperor Shen Neng of China was prescribing marijuana tea for the treatment of gout, rheumatism, malaria and, oddly enough, poor memory. The drug’s popularity as a medicine spread throughout Asia, the Middle East and down the eastern coast of Africa, and certain Hindu sects in India used marijuana for religious purposes and stress relief. Ancient physicians prescribed marijuana for everything from pain relief to earache to childbirth.

In terms of American history, it was reported that in 1492 Christopher Columbus brought cannabis as rope of hemp into the New World. In 1619, Jamestown colony law declared that all settlers were required to grow cannabis. George Washington grew cannabis for fiber production at Mount Vernon as his primary crop.

By the late 18th century, early editions of American medical journals showed recommendations of hemp seeds and roots for the treatment of inflamed skin, incontinence and venereal disease. Irish doctor William O’Shaughnessy first popularized marijuana’s medical use in England and America. As a physician with the British East India Company, he found marijuana eased the pain of rheumatism and was helpful against discomfort and nausea in cases of rabies, cholera and tetanus.