Generally Accepted, Mainstream Medicine Banned
Dr. William Erastus Upjohn solved this problem with his invention of the “friable” (crushable) tablet that was designed to be easily digestible. The Upjohn Company became a leading innovator in drug development and manufacturing. Upjohn, Parke-Davis, Eli Lilly and others continued to produce botanical medicines while the 1930s brought a push for standardization. An effort by the Rockefeller Foundation, insurance companies and other special interests pushed pharmacies to stock only modern products that could be patented by their manufacturers. In pursuit of profit, biologically-derived medicines were upstaged by single compound products. Prohibition of Cannabis came without much warning. Even the American Medical Association had no notice there was legislation brewing before Congress. Despite strong objections from the AMA and companies that used industrial hemp, Congress for the first time outlawed a living plant and everything made from it. When Cannabis prohibition went into effect on October 1, 1937, countless products like these were removed from drugstore shelves with no compensation to the druggist. Investment in research enabled Upjohn to compete in the rapidly developing pharmaceutical industry. Upjohns laboratories developed biochemical methods for the production of cortisone and prednisone, and invented hugely profitable drugs like Rogaine, Halcion and Xanax. Many of these producers remained household names throughout the twentieth century. Parke-Davis, once Americas oldest and largest producer of biological medicines, was bought out by Pfizer, as was most of Upjohn. Herbal medicine is still practiced, but not with ingredients available from the typical pharmacy. These brown glass bottles have black painted metal screw caps with cork linings. The brown glass was intended to cut down on light exposure, long known to degrade organics. Prescription bottles were universally sealed with corks until the 1930s. They gradually lost out to screw caps. Left to Right: One-Fourth Pint Fluid Extract Indian Cannabis, NF III (Cannabis Sativa) Upjohn Pill and Granule Co., Kalamazoo, Michigan. 5 1/4″ x 1″ round. Upjohn 100 Tablets Cannabin Compound with original box. Each tablet represents Cannabis, Ext. 1/10 gr, Zinc phosphate 1/10 grain Strychnine phosphate 1/40 grain, Avenin 1/200 grain. Dose one tablet four times daily. The Upjohn Pill and Granule Co, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Box 1 14/” x 3″ x 1 1/4″.
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