It can be challengingt to locate information about the safety and therapeutic value of cannabis.
An unfortunate result of the federal prohibition of cannabis has been limited clinical research to investigate the safety and efficacy of cannabis to control symptoms of severe and chronic illness.
Many scientists have noted research is “hindered by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana, and the debate over legalization.”
Nonetheless, the documented use of cannabis as a safe and effective therapeutic botanical dates to 2700 BC. Between 1840 and 1900, European and American journals of medicine published more than 100 articles on the therapeutic use of cannabis.
Cannabis was part of the American pharmacopeia until 1942 and is currently available by prescription in Canada, the Netherlands, Israel, and Germany.