{"id":1720,"date":"2017-12-28T03:24:31","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T03:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weedmaps.com\/learn\/cbd\/the-end-of-cannabis-prohibition"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:02:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T15:02:05","slug":"end-of-prohibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weedmaps.com\/learn\/cannabis-and-its-evolution\/end-of-prohibition","title":{"rendered":"The end of cannabis prohibition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tA quick history of how science disentangles misguided lawmaking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It took the work of many cannabis legalization advocates, scientists, doctors, researchers, and politicians to pave the way for a more open-minded approach to cannabis policy -- and the battle isn't over. While the United States had the spotlight after the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, cannabis acceptance around the world ranged from legal hashish in India to restricted access in China and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1942, American hemp production got a boost when President Franklin Roosevelt, by executive order, allowed industrial hemp to be cultivated for canvas, rope, and oil production in support of World War II. After the war, however, the order was rescinded and all hemp cultivation came to a halt with orders for farmers to plow remaining fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1946, researchers first discovered the distinct properties of the individual cannabinoids, learning that mice given THC showed signs of psychotropic activity while mice given doses of CBD did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1964, Israeli researcher Raphael Mechoulam (with the Weizmann Institute) became the first to identify and synthesize tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in marijuana. Mechaloum's discovery paved the way for increased interest in the medical uses of cannabis and the eventual discovery of the human endocannabinoid system in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The medical use of marijuana was beginning to gain steam as California became the first state to legalize it in 1996, followed shortly after by Alaska, Oregon, and Washington in 1998. Maine followed the next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"medical\n\t\t\t<\/a>Photo by: Gina Coleman\/Weedmaps<\/cite>
As medical marijuana reform proved to be increasingly popular in more and more pockets of the United States of America, the public perception of cannabis began to shift significantly. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t