5,000 years of medicine.

How a plant went from ancient remedy, to banned, to Georgia's medical program.

1. 2737 BCE

   A legendary prescription

   Chinese tradition credits Emperor Shen Nung with listing cannabis as medicine for gout and rheumatism.

2. 1839

   Medicine comes West

   Irish doctor William O'Shaughnessy publishes cannabis research from India, introducing it to Western medicine.

3. 1850

   In the pharmacopeia

   Cannabis enters the U.S. Pharmacopeia — tinctures are sold in pharmacies for nearly a century.

4. 1937

   The Marihuana Tax Act

   Federal taxes and paperwork effectively end cannabis prescribing in the U.S.

5. 1964

   THC is identified

   Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam isolates THC, kicking off modern cannabis science.

6. 1970

   Schedule I

   The Controlled Substances Act lists cannabis as having 'no accepted medical use.'

7. 1988

   A receptor is found

   Scientists discover the CB1 receptor in the brain — the body has a lock that THC fits.

8. 1992

   Meet anandamide

   The body's own 'bliss molecule' is discovered, revealing the endocannabinoid system.

9. 1996

   California goes first

   Prop 215 makes California the first state with legal medical cannabis.

10. 1998

    The entourage effect

    Mechoulam and Ben-Shabat coin the term: cannabis compounds may work better together.

11. 2015

    Haleigh's Hope Act

    Georgia allows registered patients to possess low-THC oil — named for a young girl with severe seizures.

12. 2019

    Georgia's Hope Act

    Georgia creates a path for licensed in-state cultivation and production.

13. Today

    Georgia's program grows

    Licensed dispensaries now serve Georgia patients — and askterpy helps you understand what's in the jar.