Marijuana…Some Fascinating Historic Facts.

“To the agriculturist, cannibis is a fibre crop; to the physician, it is an enigma; to the user, a euphoriant; to the police, a menace; to the trafficker, a source of profitable danger; to the convict or parolee and his family, a source of sorrow.”
   – Marihuana in Medicine: Past, Present and Future by Tod H Mikuriva
                       (California Medicine, Vol 110, 1969: 30-40)

Without the hemp plant, one of the oldest psychoactive plants around, there would be no marijuana. Its dried leaves have been inhaled and ingested for centuries, changing the mood, perception, and consciousness of people throughout the world. And for most of it’s history, hemp and its by-products have been legal.

Here’s a few fascinating facts…

1. Its use as medicine was first recorded as far back as 2727 B.C. by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. He documented its medical effectiveness in treating rheumatism, gout, and even absent-mindedness.

2. Queen Victoria of England was prescribed cannabis for menstrual cramps by her personal physician Sir Russell Reynolds. He wrote in the first issue of The Lancet in 1890 that ‘when pure and administered carefully, cannabis is one of the most useful medicines we possess.’

3. America’s first marijuana law was not, as many might imagine, to ban the growing of the plant. It was just the opposite. Back in 1619, the farmers of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia were ‘ordered‘ to grow hemp crops. And this was the first of many such laws. Get this – between 1763 and 1767, not growing the hemp plant could get a farmer thrown in jail.

Of course, the reason that hemp growing was encouraged was so very different from the reasons that many people try to grow it today. Back the, the hemp plant had much more practical uses – once harvested, it was turned into clothing, sails, and rope.

4. Hemp was once considered legal tender in the United States, even accepted by the government as a payment for your taxes. Try that today and see where you end up!

5. Visitors to the 1876 American Centennial Exposition in Phillidelphia were invited to ‘toke up’ at the Turkish Hashish Exposition stand. Those who did had a much more enhanced ‘exposition’ experience.

6. In the 1890s, several women’s temperance societies actually recommended the use of hashish instead of alchohol. Their reasoning – liquor led to domestic violence, whereas hashish did not.

7. Up until the 1940s, it was easily obtained at the local general store or pharmacy. Used as a medicine, it was listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia as useful for medical conditions such as nausea, rheumatism, and labor pain. (It was subsequently removed from the pharmacopoeia in 1942 when it was decided that marijuana was a harmful and addictive drug, causing psychotic episodes.)

But enough with the words.

I found this 5 part video series called The Magic Weed: A History of Marijuana that looks like it’s worth watching. I’ve only had time so far to see Part One, but it held my attention…so thought I’d share all five with you. (Hopefully one day soon I’ll have a chance to watch the whole series)