Medical marijuana: A Canadian perspective.

Cannabis is not a new drug. In fact, the cannabis or hemp plant grows in most parts of the world and has a long history of both medical, as well as non-medical use. Little is documented on the use of cannabis in the first half of the century, however, despite legal sanctions consumption of cannabis increased notably in the 1960s and 1970s and usage seems not to have abated since that time. Its resurgence as a medicinal drug of interest came out of the AIDS pandemic and in 1999 two patients obtained permission by the Federal Government to smoke marijuana and in 2000 the Courts ruled that Canadians had a right to use cannabis as a medicine and in 2001, the Liberal government enacted the Medical Marihuana Access Regulations (MMAR), allowing cannabis for therapeutic purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]