Cannabis was widely used in America until the mid 20th century, even appearing in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. In 1937, after a wave of changing opinion, the Marihuana Tax Act was passed, making all non-medical uses of cannabis illegal. This law was expanded in the 1950s, by the Boggs Act and the Narcotics Control Act, to establish mandatory minimum sentences for cannabis possession offenders. The Controlled Substances Act passed in 1970, during Nixonrsquo;s Administration, which listed marijuana as a Schedule 1 Drug, with no accepted medical use. Marijuana remains a Schedule 1 Drug even though 18 states have medical marijuana programs and 85% of Americans believe that the use of marijuana should be allowed if a physician authorizes it.
