As we saw in ancient history, cannabis has long been revered for its medical and spiritual applications. But in modern times, this sacred plant faced a dramatic shift—not because of scientific discovery, but because of politics, propaganda, and profit-driven agendas. This chapter explores how misinformation and manipulation obscured cannabis’s true purpose, derailing decades of medicinal progress.

Suppression in the Middle Ages

Our story begins in Western Europe, where during the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church suppressed many natural healing practices—including cannabis. Healers who operated outside the Church’s authority were often labeled witches or heretics and violently persecuted. For centuries, this repression kept cannabis out of the medical spotlight.

The Cannabis Renaissance: 1800s

That changed in 1839 when Irish physician Dr. William Brooke O’Shaughnessy reintroduced cannabis to Western medicine after studying its use in India. His clinical trials showed cannabis tinctures could relieve rheumatism, rabies symptoms, cholera-induced vomiting, and even deadly tetanus convulsions—with minimal side effects.

In 1845, American physician Michael Donovan confirmed O’Shaughnessy’s findings and conducted his own trials treating nerve pain and anorexia. Cannabis entered the U.S. Pharmacopeia in 1850, becoming a respected medical remedy.

By the mid-1800s, major pharmaceutical companies like Squibb, Tilden’s, and Parke-Davis were producing cannabis tinctures for insomnia, pain, arthritis, headaches, and even gonorrhea. Cannabis cigarettes were marketed for asthma relief.

The 1860 Ohio Medical Committee Report praised cannabis as effective for epilepsy, bronchitis, and nervous system disorders. Queen Victoria’s physician, Sir John Russell Reynolds, famously prescribed cannabis tincture to relieve her menstrual pain.

By the late 19th century, cannabis was among the most commonly prescribed medicines in the U.S., used for over 100 conditions. It remained America’s leading painkiller until the discovery of aspirin around 1900.

Enter Modernism—and Erasure

Despite this golden age, a shift began in the early 20th century. The Flexner Report of 1910, backed by the Carnegie Foundation and Rockefeller interests, restructured American medical education to mirror Germany’s model, emphasizing lab science over traditional healing. Herbalism—including cannabis—was now deemed “unscientific.” This pivot allowed pharmaceutical companies to dominate medicine with synthetic drugs.

Meanwhile, immigration from Mexico during the 1910 Revolution brought recreational cannabis to the U.S. Amid racial tensions, cannabis became a scapegoat for anti-Mexican sentiment. Media outlets, including The New York Times, framed cannabis as a dangerous foreign vice. By 1919, racist violence and misinformation were rampant—and cannabis was caught in the crossfire.

Corporate Interests Declare War

Cannabis also threatened powerful industrial interests. Hemp, a form of cannabis, could replace wood for paper, fossil fuels for ethanol, and cotton or nylon for textiles. Companies like DuPont, which patented synthetic fibers in 1937, saw cannabis as a direct threat. So did oil and timber magnates. Industrialists funded propaganda to destroy cannabis’s reputation.

This effort culminated in the rise of Harry Anslinger, appointed head of the newly formed Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Backed by Andrew Mellon, a banker for DuPont, Anslinger launched a 30-year anti-cannabis crusade based on fear, racism, and lies. He used sensationalist media and films like Reefer Madness to vilify the plant.

Anslinger’s messaging evolved with the times. In the 1930s, cannabis supposedly made users violent. By the 1950s, it made them passive and susceptible to communism—fueling Cold War paranoia.

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937

In 1937, Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act, effectively criminalizing cannabis by imposing heavy taxes and penalties for noncompliance. It doubled the price of legal cannabis overnight. Just two days before the vote, the American Medical Association (AMA) learned the law targeted cannabis. Dr. William C. Woodward of the AMA testified that the law was based on sensationalism, not science. His warning was ignored.

When Congress voted, a single question was asked: “Did anyone consult the AMA?” The reply: “Yes, and they’re in agreement.” That was a lie. But it was enough. The law passed, and cannabis was removed from the U.S. Pharmacopeia by 1942.

Suppression Becomes Standard

The war on cannabis only intensified. Throughout the 1940s and ‘50s, anti-cannabis laws targeted marginalized communities—especially Black and Mexican Americans—under the guise of public safety.

But the scientific community kept researching. In 1947, doctors Jean P. Davis and H.H. Ramses successfully used THC isomers to treat epilepsy in children. In 1964, Israeli scientist Raphael Mechoulam isolated THC and identified its chemical structure. Research into cannabis’s benefits continued through the 1960s and ’70s, with evidence supporting its use for asthma, glaucoma, migraines, chemotherapy-induced nausea, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, tumors, and more.

In 1975, scientists convened at the Asilomar Conference to review cannabis studies. They concluded the government should be funding more research—not banning it.

Nixon and the Controlled Substances Act

In 1969, the Marihuana Tax Act was struck down in court. But the victory was short-lived. President Richard Nixon quickly replaced it with the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970, which classified cannabis as a Schedule I drug—meaning it had “a high risk of abuse and no accepted medical value.”

Later, one of Nixon’s policy advisors admitted the real reason: “We couldn’t make it illegal to be against the war or Black, but by associating hippies with marijuana and Blacks with heroin… we could disrupt those communities. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”

Silencing the Science

Despite mounting evidence, the DEA and NIDA halted independent cannabis research in 1976 under the Ford Administration, influenced heavily by pharmaceutical companies. Only government-approved research was allowed—and only if the results aligned with prohibitionist policies. Instead of supporting natural cannabis, corporations began developing synthetic cannabinoids they could patent.

In 1978, glaucoma patient Robert Randall sued the government for access to cannabis and won. He became the first participant in the Investigational New Drug (IND) program, receiving federally grown cannabis joints. The program grew until the early 1990s, when AIDS patients overwhelmed it with applications. The government shut it down—but grandfathered in the existing patients. To this day, a few individuals still legally receive government-grown cannabis.

The Bottom Line

From royal medicine to criminalized drug, cannabis’s modern history is one of deception, corruption, and missed opportunities. Politicians, corporations, and media figures worked together to suppress a healing plant for their own gain. But despite decades of erasure, the truth has endured.

And today, as we reclaim this knowledge, we begin to right the wrongs of history—one fact, one voice, one patient at a time.