Although 47 of the 50 states in our nation now allow legal access to medical marijuana in some form or another, cannabis remains prohibited on the federal level. It’s classified under Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, indicating that the government’s official position is that cannabis has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medicinal value — a status that we all know is obviously false, including federal drug agencies themselves.

How do we know this? Because the US government actually established a legal medical marijuana program of its own over four decades ago — one that, as unbelievable as it may sound, has provided a dozen or so select patients with a steady supply of free weed from Uncle Sam himself. It’s an FDA research project called the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program, or IND.

​​In this episode of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black speaks with one of the last two patients still enrolled in this program — a cataract and glaucoma sufferer turned cannabis activist who was the first female to receive medicinal cannabis through the IND, Elvy Musikka, who discusses the many medical and legal tribulations she’s endured over the years in her struggle to retain her sight, the many friends and allies she made along the way, and how the IND program changed her life. 

The World of Cannabis Museum Project presents: Cannthropology—the potcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. 

Read our Cannthropology blog at worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology and in our official media partner Leaf Magazine. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of this podcast, please contact us at cannthropology@gmail.com. 

SHOW LINKS

Website: worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology, leafmagazines.com/features/learn/history

Instagram: Cannthropology, worldofcannabis.museum, TheBobbyBlack

X: Cannthropology, WOCMuseum, @bobbyblack

YouTube: WorldofCannabis, TheInfamousBobbyBlack

Hashtags: #Cannthropology #worldofcannabismuseum #worldofcannabis #leafmagazines

GUEST LINKS

Website: elvymusikka.com

Facebook: facebook.com/elvy.musikka

Hashtags: #elvymusikka

The World of Cannabis Museum will showcase the influence of cannabis in art, music, film, news, medicine, and politics throughout the past century. From the early days of prohibition and "reefer madness," to its modern-day mainstream momentum and everything in between: from the legendary growers and breeders who created and propagated all of the iconic strains, to the smugglers who distributed them across the globe; from the activists who have fought for legalization, to the celebrities who have embraced it; from America’s headshops to Amsterdam’s coffeeshops; from the counterculture of the 1960s, the excesses of the '70s, and the Drug War hysteria of the '80s, to the rise of medical marijuana in the '90s and the march toward legalization and mainstream acceptance in the new millennium—all of this and more we plan to explore in this unprecedented exhibition. 

© World of Cannabis and Cannthropology are registered trademarks of Velleman Beheer B.V.