(NaturalNews) Humans have been using medical cannabis to treat a vast array of ailments for thousands of years. Physicians in the United States used it as far back as the 1800s, at which time they were allowed to operate independently, free from government regulation. At that time, cannabis was one of their most commonly used medicines.

Even the pharmaceutical industry utilized cannabis medicinally. By 1850, many pharmaceutical companies were using cannabis for a large variety of illnesses, including cholera, rabies, alcoholism, opiate addiction, typhus, leprosy, insanity, tonsillitis, excessive menstrual bleeding and many others.

But once drugs like aspirin and morphine proved to be more lucrative, the demonization of cannabis soon followed. After the U.S. Food and Drugs Act was passed in 1906, access to cannabis slowly began slipping away.

By 1936, nearly all U.S. states had enacted laws restricting cannabis, some of which are still in effect today.
 

Federal government refuses to acknowledge the many health benefits of cannabis

While a new and more accepting attitude surrounds the use of the plant today, the federal government continues to ignore its medicinal benefits. This is despite mounds of research showing that the plant is useful for humans in combating cancer, reducing and/or eliminating seizures, managing pain and inflammation, and treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's.

In early August, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) rejected attempts made by two Democratic governors to ease restrictions on marijuana. The agency stood firm on its current classification for the plant, keeping it as a schedule I drug.

Schedule I drugs include substances or chemicals considered to have no "currently accepted medical use," and "a high potential for abuse," according to the DEA. Other drugs in this category include heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote. Even cocaine and opium, Schedule II drugs, have a lower classification than marijuana.

Now, the feds are going after kratom, a plant used for treating pain. On August 30, the DEA announced that it wants to classify the plant as a Schedule I substance.