This History of Medical Marijuana
The opinion has varied on weather marijuana has any medical value at all. Some claim it’s a medicine that is uniquely soothing and has been held back by false claims and regulations while others simply dismiss the plant as pure sympathy for the sick.
Both sides say their views are supported by scientific proof to support their views and have expressed those views at the ballot box in recent state elections.
The White House ONDCP (Office of National Drug Control Policy) asked the Institute of Medicine to conduct a review of the scientific evidence to assess the potential health benefits and risks of marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids In January of 1997.
That review began in August 1997 and culminates with this news article.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) request came in the wake of state “medical marijuana” initiatives. voters in California and Arizona passed referenda designed to permit the use of marijuana as medicineIn November 1996.
Arizona’s referendum was invalidated five months later but galvanized a national response.
Voters in six states (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) passed ballot initiatives in support of medical marijuana in November 1998.
At that time, the Colorado vote did not count, however, because after the vote was taken a court ruling determined there had not been enough valid signatures to place the initiative on the ballot.
As of June 1, 2006, Colorado joined the growing list of states with active medical marijuana programs.
This occurred in the wake of last November’s voter approval of Amendment 20, the medical marijuana initiative sponsored by Coloradans for Medical Rights and its parent group, California-based Americans for Medical Rights, and after the Colorado legislature passed necessary implementing legislation this spring.
As of June 7th, the state registry for medical marijuana patients had sent off 150 applications to patients and received 13 completed application forms, according to the registry administrator.
