History of Marijuana

The History of the Cannabis

Marijuana has been used sinced aall the way back as far as 2700 BC by the people of China. It has also been used for a long time by the people of India for both medicinal purposes aswell as ceremonies. Even since the ancient times Cannabis has been used for recreational purposed to create feelings of euphoria. Later the use of marijuana spread from China to India to North Africa and then finally Europe which was as early as 500 AD.

In the pages of the writings of the Chinese emperor Shen Nung all the way back in 2700 BC was a reference to the substance marijuana, this is thought to be the first reference on paper to the substance. It was written that it had great medicinal abilities for things such as malaria, gout, rheumatism and even absent-mindedness. There were a few notes on the recreation abilities the herb could create but more emphasis was placed on it's medicinal properties. However, both in India and with Muslims it was obviously used for recreational purposes. Particularly with the Muslims as the Koran prohibited the consumption of alcohol.

By 1545 the New World had been introduced to Marijuana by the Spanish and then in 1610 it was introduced to Jamestown by the english in which it became a huge commercial crop, being grown as a source of fiber along with tobacco.

By 1890 cotton had replaced hemp in the southern states and whilst there were some medicines containing marijuana it was a very small potion compared to the number that contained either cocaine or opium. In the early 1920's marijuana became hugely popular and it is reported by historians that this popularization of the herb was what brought it's prohibition about.