Medical marihuana in a time of prohibition

As the medical virtues of cannabis become increasingly clear, the question of how to make it available to patients becomes increasingly urgent. Conventional routes to medical legitimacy—the process by which pharmaceutical companies satisfy government requirements for a new medicine—are inappropriate because of the unique history and properties of this substance. Its full medical potential cannot be realized as long as present prohibition laws are enforced. For medical as well as other reasons, cannabis should be available to the public under restrictions similar to those governing alcohol. Although early changes in the law are unfortunately unlikely, increasing public understanding of the medical usefulness of cannabis may lead to changes in enforcement patterns that bring the 60 year reign of prohibition to a de facto conclusion.