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Marijuana Through History

Some of you may be interested in finding seed banks that ship to AU. Let’s be honest here, ordering your Marijuana online is a very new way of doing it. The plant has been used by humans for thousands of years, long before the internet even became a thing.

In this article, I want to take you on a journey through time. You’ll learn about how some of the cultures in the ancient world saw and used Cannabis.

Whenever you read about it, it might seem like something new, but actually, it couldn’t be anything further.

This is my historical tour of Marijuana.

  1. Ancient China 

Let’s start our journey off with the oldest record of Marijuana usage that archaeologists could find. I’m not saying that people didn’t get high before this, but this is the first absolute example that the experts have been able to find.

Over 2000 years ago, in ancient China, smoking a joint would be a common and acceptable way to unwind at the end of a busy day. And in some cultures, the people loved Marijuana so much that they would even bury themselves with it.

There’s even some talk of getting high being thought of as a sort of spiritual experience.

  1. Ancient Egypt 

At school, I’m sure that many of you learnt about the civilisations of Ancient Egypt. You could probably tell me all about the Pyramids, the Pharaohs, the gods, etc.

But what your history teacher probably didn’t tell you is that Cannabis was regularly grown and used in their culture. Long before the world of medicine was taken over by pills and chemicals, people used what nature provided for them.

In fact, Seshat, the goddess of wisdom, is often painted as holding a cannabis leaf. You can interpret this how you wish, but I would say that they wanted people to know that if you were unwell, it was wise to smoke Cannabis.

  1. Medieval 

When thinking of the Medieval times, there will be some who assume it was a time of utter piousness, and where the very thought of doing such a thing was unthinkable. But you’d be wrong.

Just like in Ancient Egypt, the people of medieval Europe would use Cannabis as a medicine. And if you think the church wouldn’t have approved, think again. In the garden of many religious hospitals, the monks would grow Marijuana.

In the Islamic world at this time, most people would smoke Marijuana because alcohol was banned.

  1. First banning 

The first documented account of Cannabis being banned was in 1378. Soudoun Sheikouni, who was the Emir of the Joneima in Arabia, passed a law which forbade the drug. 

There is a bit of debate surrounding why we choose to do this. Most believe it was because he was strictly religious, and thought of taking Marijuana as a way of altering your mind, much in the same way that alcohol does. 

It might have been challenging for his subjects, not only was alcohol banned but now Cannabis was too. 

  1. Modern Day 

With a few notable exceptions, Cannabis has been legal throughout most cultures in history. And it wasn’t until just after the industrial revolution that countries began to make it illegal. 

Through time, the laws began to get tighter, and just possessing a small amount of it would have landed you in prison. And it’s only exceptionally recently that we’re once again listening to the people who walked the Earth hundreds, even thousands of years ago. 

Long before modern medicine, they knew the medical benefits of the green plant. And I for one, think we should be looking to them for inspiration.