Composition and Stability of a Standard Marihuana Cigarette

The recorded use of Cannabis dates back well over 3000 years, with use as an intoxicant and as a medicinal formulation contributing to its considerable historical presence. Despite the recognition and use of Cannabis as a medicinal natural product by many cultures, its use in Western medicine began to decrease early in this century. With the passing of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, its use was effectively prohibited and its cultivation was disallowed in the United States. In 1942, the U.S. Pharmacopeia removed marihuana from its listings. In the 1960s, however, whereas the medicinal and industrial use of marihuana continued to decrease in the United States, the use of marihuana as an illegal intoxicant increased dramatically. By the early 1990s, the only legal therapeutic application of Cannabis in the United States was to a small number of individuals (less than 20) who still received marihuana through a compassionate use program that was terminated in 1992. So it was remarkable when, despite numerous efforts to discourage marihuana use in the United States, grassroots organizations in Arizona and California were able to pass proposals to legalize the prescription and use of medicinal marihuana in 1997.