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CANNABIS, THE CONTROVERSY UPDATED Guillermo Caletti, MD, PhD. Chief of Clinical Operations at Boehringer Ingelheim for Mexico and Central America.
It is interesting reading the great number of publications related to the use of Cannabis as a medicinal and recreational product and the worldwide controversy for the authorization, and regulation for its medicinal and recreational use. The history of Cannabis in Mexico is at least 5 centuries old, beginning with the introduction of hemp upon the arrival of Spaniards in the 16th century. Since then, hemp has had a continuous presence in Mexican society, economy, and national culture, either in the form of hemp products, as medicine for traditional use, and/or as a psychoactive substance. However, hemp had not been considered an unhealthy product until the 20th century, particularly during the ‘80s, when, due to pressure from the United States, the Mexican government was forced to start a fight against the Cannabis business, along with the illegal trade of cocaine from Colombia, increasing the levels of corruption within the government institutions, as well as the rise of organized crime and violence, linked to these unlawful businesses. Nevertheless, this national reaction had nothing to do with local problems of diseases related to the use of Cannabis, but rather to the Cannabis’ illegal trade in the United States and the flight of capital that this market represents. It should be noted that, according to the 2011 Annual Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United States has the highest annual consumption of marijuana (13.7%), while in Mexico, the consumption is barely 1%, only higher than in Ecuador (0.7%) and the Dominican Republic (0.3%). So, whose problem it is? From a health perspective, is marijuana a harmful substance? When a person learns that a relative or friend is consuming any type of drug,
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