The Cannabis Plant

Overview of the Cannabis Plant

Cannabis sativa L. belongs to the plant family Cannabaceae, which has only one genus (Cannabis) and one highly variable species, C. sativa. This is one of the oldest plants grown for food, fiber, and medicine. It grows in all habitats, ranging from sea level to temperate to alpine foothills.

Cannabis originated in Western Asia and was introduced to Western medicine in the early 19th century. It has a long history of being used as a medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including asthma, epilepsy, fatigue, glaucoma, insomnia, nausea, pain, and rheumatism. Due to its numerous natural constituents, the plant is a chemically complex species.

Cannabinoids, a specific chemical class found in cannabis, are produced in the glandular trichomes of the plant. Among the cannabinoid constituents of cannabis, 𝛥9-tetrahydrocannabinol (𝛥9-THC), which is naturally present in the form of an acid (𝛥9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, 𝛥9-THCA), is the main psychoactive constituent of the plant. Decarboxylation of the acid with age or heat is required to form the pharmacologically active 𝛥9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Cannabidiol (CBD), another cannabinoid of current interest, is reported to be active as an antiepileptic agent, particularly for the treatment of intractable pediatric epilepsy.

History of Cannabis as Medicine in the United States

• Ancient times…China, India, Middle East
• In the 1800s and into the early 1900s, accepted medical use in the US.
• Marijuana is listed in U.S. Pharmacopeia 1850-1942 for labor pains, nausea, rheumatism, and other symptoms.
• Common in “patent medicines” until after 1906.
• 1929, Parke Davis “American Cannabis” Fluid Extract No. 598.
• “Physiologically Standardized”
• Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 – illegal to possess or sell except for medical use - taxation