With the recent political debate around medical cannabis trials, you could be forgiven for thinking that the notion was something altogether new. In fact, cannabis has been used medicinally for thousands of years in India and Asia. It was introduced to western medicine in the mid-nineteenth century by an Irish doctor William O'Shaughnessy, upon his return from service in India, and become a popular therapy around the world. Even former US president Richard Nixon's 1972 National Commission on marihuana supported studies of its use in the treatment of conditions such as glaucoma, migraine and cancer (although Nixon subsequently ignored his own Commission's findings and instead declared a war on drugs). The criminalization of marijuana saw it swiftly fall from medical favor. However, it seems that medical cannabis's star is once again rising, with some evidence suggesting it may offer considerable relief in conditions where few other treatments are able to help. - ABC Radio
