Official 1936 USP Lists Cannabis as Approved Prescription Medicine

It is surprising that the medicinal benefits of Cannabis are not universally accepted. Before Enslinger and "Reefer Madness" it had three entries in the Official United States Pharmacopeia (USP). The USP specifies the government's official criteria for acceptance, approval, purity, and standards expected of officially recognized medicines prescribed by licensed physicians.

It describes the acceptable quality of raw Cannabis, as well as the extract and fluid-extract prescribed by physicians. The three entries described standards for raw cannabis, methods and standards for cannabis extract, and methods and standards for fluidextract of cannabis.

An "extract" is made by percolating the dry herbs and evaporating the alcohol. The recommended dose was 15 mg of what we now know as Rick Simpson Oil (RSO). Often the pharmacist would make "pillules" by rolling 15 mg of sticky resin into tiny "pills" for oral administration.

A "fluidextract" is prepared in the same way as an extract, but the alcohol is not evaporated. The recommended dose was 0.1 ml, or about two drops under the tongue.

Approved uses for Cannabis before prohibition are mentioned in Wikipedia:

"Cannabis was entered into the United States Pharmacopeia in 1850, as a treatment for neuralgia, tetanus, typhus, cholera, rabies, dysentery, alcoholism, opiate addiction, anthrax, leprosy, incontinence, snakebite, gout, convulsive disorders, tonsillitis, insanity, excessive menstrual bleeding, and uterine bleeding.[10] It was widely available in pharmacies and even grocery stores during the latter half of the 19th century, priced affordably relative to other drugs with no requirement for a doctor's prescription.[10] Cannabis was commonly sold in tincture form by Parke-Davis, Eli Lilly, E. R. Squibb & Sons, and other drug manufacturers.[12]"

I am the proud owner of this official, stamped copy of the 1936 USP. I thought the 1934 $10 "Greenback" Federal Reserve Note made an appropriate bookmark.

Just think what it meant to someone who stashed a $10 bill...during the Great Depression!!

Note that the alcohol extract listed is essentially what we now call "Rick Simpson Oil" or RSO. This was standard pharmaceutical practice in the early 20th Century. Most local druggists, or more properly "chemists," used this as a guide for preparing RSO in small town drug stores across the country.