Cannabis: Medicine, Plant, or Drug? 5 Reasons It’s Not So Simple

Key Takeaways

• Cannabis is a naturally occurring plant that humans have cultivated and used for thousands of years.
• The human body contains an endocannabinoid system that naturally produces compounds similar to those found in cannabis.
• Cannabis has been used medicinally across diverse cultures for millennia before prohibition.
• Legal classification of cannabis continues to evolve worldwide, with growing recognition of its legitimate uses.
• Cannabis serves multiple functions beyond recreation, including medicine, industrial applications, and cultural/spiritual practice.s

Introduction: Reconsidering How We Classify Cannabis

When we hear the word “drug,” specific images likely come to mind—pharmaceuticals in orange bottles, illicit substances, or compounds manufactured in laboratories. Cannabis, while officially classified as a controlled substance in many jurisdictions, presents a fascinating challenge to these conventional categorizations.

This article doesn’t aim to deny that cannabis contains psychoactive compounds or that it can alter neurochemistry. Instead, we seek to explore the nuanced reality that cannabis may not fit neatly into the traditional “drug” framework that we commonly use. By examining cannabis through multiple lenses—botanical, historical, medical, and cultural—we can develop a more sophisticated understanding of this complex plant and its relationship with humanity.

While acknowledging the current legal classification of cannabis in many regions, we invite you to consider these five compelling reasons why cannabis might deserve a classification beyond the simplistic “drug” label that it has carried for less than a century of its thousands of years of human use.

1. Natural Plant vs. Synthetic Substance: Cannabis as a Botanical Entity

The Botanical Perspective

Unlike many substances commonly labeled as “drugs,” cannabis is a naturally occurring flowering plant that evolved over millions of years. Cannabis sativa has been cultivated by humans for at least 10,000 years—long before written history. This places it alongside wheat, barley, and other ancient cultivated plants as one of humanity’s oldest agricultural companions.

Minimal Processing in Traditional Use

In its most traditional forms of consumption, cannabis undergoes minimal processing—often simply dried and consumed as a whole plant material. This stands in stark contrast to:

• Pharmaceutical drugs, which are isolated, synthesized compounds
• Processed substances like cocaine or heroin, which require extensive chemical extraction and refinement
• Synthetic drugs created entirely in laboratories

Botanical Complexity

Unlike single-compound drugs, cannabis contains over 500 unique compounds, including:

• At least 100+ different cannabinoids
• Terpenes that provide distinctive aromas and potential therapeutic effects
• Flavonoids and other phytonutrients

This complex botanical profile creates what scientists call an “entourage effect”—where compounds work synergistically in ways single-molecule drugs cannot replicate. This complexity is characteristic of botanical medicines rather than typical “drugs.”

2. The Endocannabinoid System: When Your Body Already Makes “Cannabis”

One of the most compelling arguments for reconsidering cannabis’s classification comes from a remarkable scientific discovery made in the 1990s—the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

A System Named After Cannabis

The endocannabinoid system is the only bodily system named after a plant, reflecting cannabis’s unique relationship with human biology. This vast network of receptors and signaling molecules exists throughout the body—in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells.

Your Body Produces Cannabis-Like Compounds

Perhaps most surprisingly, the human body naturally produces compounds called endocannabinoids that are structurally similar to phytocannabinoids found in cannabis. The two primary endocannabinoids—anandamide (named from the Sanskrit word for “bliss”) and 2-AG—bind to the same receptors as THC and CBD.

Fundamental Regulatory Functions

The ECS isn’t a minor biological feature—it’s fundamental to maintaining homeostasis (balance) within the body, regulating:

• Mood and stress
• Sleep cycles
• Immune function
• Pain perception
• Inflammation responses
• Memory processing
• Appetite and metabolism

This raises a philosophical question: If our bodies naturally produce compounds similar to those in cannabis and contain an entire system that responds to cannabinoids, can we truly consider cannabis a foreign “drug” in the same way we might view synthetic compounds that have no natural analogue in our physiology?

3. Historical and Cultural Context: Cannabis Beyond Recreation

The modern association of cannabis primarily as a recreational “drug” represents a narrow and historically recent perspective on a plant with diverse applications throughout human civilization.

Ancient Medicinal Heritage

Cannabis has one of the longest documented histories of medicinal use:

• Chinese pharmacopeias dating to 2800 BCE listed cannabis for treating various conditions
• Ancient Egyptian medical papyri mention cannabis preparations
• In India’s Ayurvedic tradition, cannabis has been used for thousands of years
• Greek and Roman physicians prescribed cannabis for pain and inflammation

Sacred and Spiritual Applications

Across many cultures, cannabis has held sacred status:

• In ancient Hindu traditions, cannabis (as “bhang”) was associated with Lord Shiva and used in religious ceremonies
• Rastafarianism views cannabis as a sacrament for meditation and spiritual connection
• Some ancient Chinese and Central Asian shamanic traditions incorporated cannabis in ritual contexts

Industrial and Practical Applications

Beyond medicine and ceremony, cannabis (particularly hemp varieties) has served practical purposes:

• Fiber for rope, clothing, and sails that enabled maritime exploration
• Paper production, including some of history’s most important documents
• Seed oil for lamps, cooking, and industrial applications
• Building materials that continue to be used today

This diverse historical relationship with humanity extends far beyond the narrow “drug” classification, suggesting cannabis might better be understood as a multi-purpose plant ally with varied relationships to human society.

4. Evolving Legal Status: Shifting Classifications Worldwide

Perhaps the most substantial evidence that cannabis defies simple classification as a “drug” lies in the rapidly changing legal landscape surrounding it worldwide.

A Brief History of Prohibition

Cannabis prohibition is relatively recent in human history:

• Cannabis was legal throughout most of the world history until the early 20th century
• The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act effectively began prohibition in the U.S., despite the medical community objections
• The 1970 Controlled Substances Act classified cannabis as Schedule I, suggesting high potential for abuse and no medical value
• UN treaties subsequently globalized this approach to cannabis

The Modern Reclassification Movement

Today, we’re witnessing an unprecedented reconsideration of cannabis’s status:

• Over 35 countries have legalized medical cannabis in some form
• Multiple nations and states have legalized adult recreational use
• The World Health Organization has recommended rescheduling cannabis under international treaties
• Many jurisdictions are expunging past cannabis convictions, acknowledging the injustice of previous classifications

Medical Recognition

Perhaps most significantly, governments worldwide increasingly recognize cannabis as medicine:

• FDA-approved cannabis-derived pharmaceuticals like Epidiolex
• Government-regulated medical cannabis programs
• Insurance coverage for cannabis treatments in some jurisdictions
• Medical research funding for cannabis studies

This evolving legal landscape suggests that societies worldwide are recognizing that cannabis doesn’t fit neatly into traditional “drug” classifications, mainly when that category implies a lack of legitimate uses.

5. Therapeutic Potential vs. Recreational Use: A Different Relationship

The final consideration in challenging cannabis’s classification as a “drug” involves examining the unique aspects of its relationship with users, particularly in therapeutic contexts.

Beyond the Recreational Paradigm

Unlike substances used exclusively for intoxication, cannabis serves multiple purposes:

• Patients may use non-intoxicating CBD products for anxiety or inflammation
• Medical cannabis often involves micro-dosing that doesn’t produce significant psychoactive effects
• Many medical users report improved functionality rather than impairment
• Some consumers use minimal amounts specifically to enhance creative work or focus

Patient-Directed Approach

Cannabis therapy often follows a different model than pharmaceutical drugs:

• Patients typically self-titrate dosage based on effects
• Treatment involves finding individual-specific effective doses
• Variety of delivery methods allows personalized approaches
• Many medical users report using less over time, contrary to addiction patterns

Relationship with Conventional Medicine

The relationship between cannabis and conventional medicine continues to evolve:

• Many patients use cannabis as a complement to traditional treatments
• Some report reducing or eliminating pharmaceutical drugs with cannabis
• Healthcare providers increasingly incorporate cannabis discussions into treatment plans
• Research continues to explore specific mechanisms of action

This multipurpose nature and integrative approach differs significantly from how we typically conceptualize “drugs,” suggesting that cannabis may require a more nuanced classification.

Conclusion: Toward a More Nuanced Classification

This article doesn’t suggest that cannabis contains no drug-like properties or that it should be taken casually. Cannabinoids certainly can have significant effects on the brain and body, particularly THC. Cannabis use, especially in high concentrations or by young people, carries legitimate concerns that shouldn’t be dismissed.

However, when we examine cannabis through multiple lenses—as a plant with minimal processing requirements, as a substance that mimics compounds our bodies already produce, as a cultural and historical ally with diverse applications, as a substance increasingly recognized as legitimate medicine, and as a therapeutic tool with unique characteristics—we find compelling reasons to reconsider its simplistic classification as just another “drug.”

Perhaps cannabis deserves a category of its own—one that acknowledges both its potential for recreational use and its broader significance as a therapeutic plant, industrial resource, and cultural touchstone. As societal understanding and legal frameworks continue to evolve, we may find ourselves adopting more sophisticated language that better captures cannabis’s complex relationship with humanity.

What remains clear is that the traditional “drug” framework may be insufficient for understanding a plant that has been intertwined with human civilization for thousands of years and that interacts with a fundamental system within our own bodies. By expanding our conceptual categories beyond simple dichotomies, we can develop a more accurate and nuanced understanding of cannabis and its place in human society.

What do you think? Would you label the cannabis plant as drug or not? Let us know in the comments!