Queen Victoria's Physician Writes About Medical Uses Of Cannabis

In the 19th century, cannabis was widely used to relieve muscle spasms and rheumatism. Even Queen Victoria was given it by her doctor to ease her period pains. It was the invention of the syringe towards the end of the century that marked an end to its widespread medicinal use. 

1890: Sir J. Russel Reynolds, neurologist and physician was the personal physician of Queen Victoria, the monarch of the United Kingdom. Sir Russell Reynolds prescribed a cannabis tincture for the menstrual cramps Victoria was suffering from. In an 1890 issue of The Lancet, which is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected weekly general medical journals, Reynolds writes, "When pure and administered carefully, [cannabis] is one of the most valuable medicines we possess".