History of Cannabis
Cannabis is thought to be
one of the oldest cultivated crops. Thought to originate in what is now
Mongolia and Siberia, ancient cultures migrated the plant all over the western
world. Today, cannabis can be found growing wild in any warm climate, although
it’s not common in many areas. The plant is not only unique in its medicinal
and reactional uses, but its fibers also serve as a material for textiles,
robes, sails, and other building materials. Its affects, adaptability and fast
growth period have enticed humans for roughly 12,000 thousand of years.
Ancient World
The earliest known use of
the cannabis plant occurred in ancient China where people used the plant for
its medicinal effects and to make hemp products. The Chinese utilized every
part of the plant, including the roots. Plants grown for fibers (hemp) were
used for industrial products and the seeds used for food and oils (e.g.,
grains). Seeds have been found in tombs too, indicating a cultural or spiritual
significance. By 100 AD, China recognized over 100 medicinal uses for cannabis.
China wasn’t the only
ancient society to use cannabis for its many benefits; a notable Egyptian
mummy, Ramses II, was found with cannabis pollen sprinkled among him. Ancient
Egyptians were known to use cannabis for sore eyes and cataracts. Scrolls found
from roughly 2000 BC suggest using cannabis for medicinal uses.
Cannabis was introduced
to India around 1000 BC. The people of India created a medicinal drink called “bhang”
which was a mixture of cannabis, milk and other ingredients. Bhang is still consumed
today. Even in religion, the Hindu god Shive rested under a cannabis plant and
ate its leaves after an argument with the family. The Vedas, an old Hindu text,
refers to cannabis as one of five sacred plants, with a guardian angel in its
leaves.
Eurasian nomads, called
Scythians, are thought to be responsible for bringing cannabis to present day
Germany from the Altai mountains in Central and East Asia. Greek writer
Herodotus recorded observing the Scythians using cannabis in 440 BC, describing
the burning of the cannabis on hot stones creating a bath of smoke and shouting
for joy. Around 200 BC, the Greek followed other cultures by using cannabis for
medicinal purposes. Cannabis was introduced to Britain in the 5th
century, likely by Vikings.
The New World
Napoleon’s troops introduced cannabis to
France after discovering hashish in Egypt. It grew in popularity in the 19th
century where it was widely used for medicinal purposes for many illnesses and
ailments in both Britain and France. Queen Victoria even used cannabis to
relieve menstrual pain. The popularity for medicinal use diminished when the
syringe was invented. Since cannabis cannot be dissolved, it cannot be injected,
resulting in a slower reaction time compared to modern, injectable drugs.
Colonizers introduced
cannabis and hemp to the Americas during the mid-1500s when the Spanish encouraged
farmers to cultivate the crop; the English colonizers that settled in Jamestown
cultivated the plant for its many uses. The English required cannabis to be
grown by farmers in Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut during the early
1600s, and during the mid-1700s, California, a colony in Spain, and Mexico, were
known for growing cannabis. The United States Pharmacopeia approved cannabis
for treatment for a number of medical troubles from rabies to alcoholism, and
to everything in between.
Prohibition
Cannabis was widely grown
across the Americas for hundreds of years until the 1900s. The Mexican
revolution in 1910 pushed an influx of immigrants to the southwestern United States.
Mexico provided the perfect climate for cannabis growth, making it very popular
among its people; thus, the influx of Mexican immigrants to the US also brought
cannabis. This sparked fear among paper and cloth producers, as company owners were
threatened by the possibility that Mexican immigrants could cultivate and use
hemp to compete with their business. The wealthy owners produced anti-immigrant
and anti-cannabis propagation, dubbing cannabis as an “evil weed”. This propagation
would change how the world views cannabis still to this day.
Prohibition of cannabis
kick started during the early 1900s, around the time anti-immigration culture was
growing. Utah was the first state to outlaw the plant entirely in 1915 with 29
states following by 1931. An international drug conference in 1928 lead the UK
and many other countries to create legislation against possession, use and
cultivation of cannabis and hemp. By the 1930s, mass unemployment left Americans
wanting to point fingers, which arguably sparked the mass anti-immigration
culture, with traces still found in todays society.
By 1937, the federal
“Marijuana Tax Act” criminalized possession in America, classifying cannabis
under the Drug Enforcement Administration. The countries who didn’t follow the
UK in 1928 quickly followed the US in criminalization. These laws didn’t stop
people from experimenting with cannabis and other drugs, with the “flower
power” era during the 1960s, cannabis and other recreational drug use soared. President
Richard Nixon started the “War on Drugs” program during the 1970s, which
classified cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug alongside heroin, LSD and ecstasy. The
Drug Awareness Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program in schools was designed
to educated children about the dangers of drugs. These programs have been
widely criticized for spreading misinformation and creating generations of
North Americans who know little about safe drug use, while still using drugs
recreationally and illegally.
Modern Legislation
The fear-based education
and culture was prominent around the world until 1993 when the Netherlands legalized
cannabis for medicinal purposes and decriminalized it for personal and recreational
use. Since then, countries have slowly pulled back their prohibition laws due
to cannabis’ many benefits. California legalized cannabis for patients with
severe or chronic illness in 1996. In 2001, Portugal followed by becoming the
first European country (and one of the first in the world) to decriminalize
possession of cannabis and all other drugs. Possibly the biggest country to
make such a drastic change was Canada in 2018, who allowed adults to use
cannabis for recreational use, in addition to medicinal use, which was approved
with a prescription years prior.
Cannabis has a long,
deeply routed history. Within a short 50 years, thousands of years of
spiritual, cultural and medicinal use of cannabis was erased. A false narrative
created by a small group of powerful people led to harsh attitudes that are
still very much present. To this day, there are many countries where possession
of cannabis is highly illegal, and people have undergone harsh punishments for
associating with cannabis. There are many countries in the works of
legalization, but even more where legalization seems centuries away.
All
in all, cannabis legalization has proven to benefit those with medicinal needs,
such as children with seizures, pain management, etc., and countries are
hopeful the decriminalization of cannabis will reduce the use of black markets
and potential overdoses or issues (i.e., mixing drugs with fentanyl, etc.).
Prepared By: Haley Browne
