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The Golden Age of Medical Cannabis
Medical Ad from 1917 While western doctors had made use Cannabis, for a variety of minor ailments, ever since the days of Galen, it wasn't until O'Shaughnessy (a Scottish doctor, who while in India had learned about Cannabis from local Mohammedan and Hindu physicians) returned from the Bengal (1839) and published his findings, that the western world begin to take notice. At a time when western medicine had few if any reliable drugs, here was an analgesic (painkiller), a sedative and antispasmodic agent all in one. And best of all, it had a very low toxicity rate (to this day no one has died from its use), and could be grown almost anywhere in commercial quantities. For obvious reasons, Cannabis Indica or Medical Marihuana soon became an indispensable part of western medicine. In fact, it spread throughout the western world like wildfire, and within a few years would be as common a medical ingredient in medicines as aspirin is today. It can be said that the 100 years between 1837 and 1937 were truly the "Golden Age of Medical Cannabis." Our sister museum has already been able to document well over 600 pre-1937 medical marihuana products on a brand or trade name basis from this era.
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