First Published September 20, 2019 Article Commentary

Cannabis has been used for thousands of years throughout the world. Its earliest medical recordings note indications for rheumatism, constipation, and gynecological disorders in China. It gained notoriety in Europe in the mid-19th century when Irish physician William O’Shaughnessy published an article based on his experiences treating tetanus and convulsive diseases with cannabis while serving in India. Cannabis was first listed in the US Pharmacopeia in 1851 as “extractum cannabis” and more than 100 medical articles were published in Europe and the United States in the later 19th century, including a report of Indian Hemp for seizures.