The European Journal of Chemistry has published a new article that traces the history and legacy of cannabis, tracing its “thousands” of years of human contact. It notes the plant’s legacy of being a source for fiber, nutrition, medicine as well as spirituality and enjoyment.
It also notes that cannabis is “perhaps one of the most controversial issues in modern humanity” and that it’s a major driver of the war on drugs.
Gabriel Vitor de Lima Marques, of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Renata Barbosa de Olivela, of the Pharmacy Department, wrote the paper “From ancient Asian Relics to Contemporality: A Review of Historical and Chemical Aspects of Canna“.
Authors wrote that the cannabis plant was first used as a fiber for ropes and manufactured goods. The use of hemp fiber goes back approximately 10,000 years in ancient Mesopotamia, and roughly 6,000 to 5,000 years in China and Kazakhstan.
The paper continues that ancient people considered cannabis to be one of five major grains along with barley, rice, soy and millet. Once the stalks are processed into hemp fibers they can be used for clothing, ropes, boat rigging and sails, paper, animal husbandry, and much more.
It says that “Cannabis may be the first plant to have been cultivated for purposes other than food.”
The study claims that cannabis consumption for its physiological effects dates back about 3,000-years.
The first people who used Cannabis both as a therapeutic tool and a narcotic were Indians, around 1000 BCE. This was primarily due to its religious connotations. Both purposes were frequently linked. It was described in the Vedas, as one of five sacred plants. According to the Vedas, the plant was created by a droplet of amrita (sacred nectar) which fell to earth. The plant was said to be able to bring freedom and joy to anyone who used it.
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The paper continued that in the Indian region preparations are used for events such as “weddings and family reunions, festivals celebrating seasons like the Holi, or ceremonies of a religious nature such Durga Puja.”
Authors wrote that “it is understood by these people that marijuana is just as important and respected as communion wine or the sacred host for Christians.” “Ayurvedic medicine has used Cannabis as a panacea for its many other uses: analgesics, anticonvulsants, antiinflammatory, aphrodisiacs and anaphrodisiacs, appetite stimulants, treatment of female track diseases, abortifacients, inducors of childbirth, etc.”
The findings of the paper challenge leading prohibitionists such as Kevin Sabet, of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. (SAM), who claim that it is justifiable to outlaw cannabis but allow alcohol because alcohol has been used for a much longer time.
Sabet, in an opinion from 2011, wrote: “The substance itself is the key difference between drug and alcohol prohibition.” Alcohol has been widely used in society for centuries, even before the Bible. Illegal drugs can’t claim to have been used by such a large portion of the world’s population for such a long time.
The new paper states that “Semitics also knew about the psychoactive qualities of Cannabis before the Christian era.” They used the plant formulations to treat various ailments, including “sicknesses and diseases of the spirit” as well as external injuries. ‘”
It continues: “Cannabis-based incense was used in Mesopotamia/Persia for aromatic and narcotic reasons in funerals,” which is mentioned in the Aramaic Old Testament of The Bible.
While the document doesn’t take a position on legalization, it does note that many jurisdictions have taken steps to decriminalize or legalize cannabis in recent years, including South Africa, Canada and Uruguay. It also notes some US states, while other countries, such as Germany, the UK and Chile, New Zealand and Brazil, have authorized medical marijuana.
The authors noted that “efforts to deconstruct stigma, legalize use of the plant and explore potential therapeutics were placed in focus in the last 60 years, owing to discoveries made in the 1960s about the active principles in Cannabis and its promising development for contemporary medicine.”
As the recent explosion of CBD shows, humans are still trying to unravel the mysteries of cannabis. Recent research also shed some light on cannabis, revealing that taking multiple cannabinoids produces a stronger and longer lasting high.
While evolution and selective breeding has traditionally been responsible for the changes in cannabis plants over time, humans are increasingly charting its path. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that a genetically modified hemp plant could be “safely grown and bred” in the United States.
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The post Human use of cannabis for food, fiber and psychoactive effects–Stretches back millennia according to a new report first appeared on Marijuana moment.
