Have you ever taken a moment to contemplate just how old weed really is? No, no, not the baggy you stuffed into your parka and promptly forgot about who knows how many years ago. Cannabis. Cannabis sativa. Weed as a plant, as a species, and as a tool in human cultures. While it may seem that weed is relatively new to the scene when our grandparents grumble about its newfangledness? Fact is, cannabis has a heck of a history. One markedly longer than our own. Let’s take a look at weed, how old it really is, and when humans took their place in the world of cannabis.
The World of Cannabis
Where did marijuana originate? Well, it looks like cannabis first burst onto the Terran scene around 28 million years ago on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. That’s Tibet, Qinghai Province in China, and Kashmir, to us . For a little perspective? Homo Sapiens (that’s us) first evolved in Africa around 300,000 years ago. So, geologically speaking, we’re pretty new to weed’s world. What was weed doing for all those millions of years before we showed up? Growing, thriving, but in a rather unfocused and self-determined way. Like nature does. Cannabis didn’t start beefing up and finding its purpose (our purpose) until we came along.
Earliest Use of Cannabis by Humans
Before smoking/eating/otherwise using for psychoactive purposes, cannabis was utilized—and then intentionally cultivated—for more utilitarian reasons. Scientists studying the cannabis genome have found evidence of a branching off of hemp and drug varieties about 12,000 years ago. This suggests intentional cultivation for specific purposes by humans inhabiting East Asia at that time.
But what about archaeological finds? Paleoethnobotanists have found evidence of cannabis seeds in Japan from about 8000 BCE. 10000 BCE saw pottery in China with hemp cord markings. Plus, rope-making, the fashioning of cloth, extraction of oil, and even the creation of hemp paper? Has been seen since 3000 BCE or earlier in many ancient Asian cultures. Now, we’re not talking just haphazard gathering of stumbled-upon hemp. Not at all. This is clear evidence that cannabis was already being cultivated specifically for human use. That may make cannabis one of the earliest examples of plants being domesticated, selectively bred, and cultivated for our use.
From Rope to Dope
You’re probably wondering when we made the leap from cloth weaving to dream weaving? Well, there are possibilities in a number of cultures, but the likely candidates for earliest pot smoke inhalers?
- Canaanites, Israelites, and Assyrians: In the Middle East? Both inhabitants of the Southern Levant (Canaanites and early Israelites) and the Assyrians were burning cannabis for psychoactive purposes over 2,700 years ago. Assyrian tablets, which gave us the word “qunubu,” detail use of cannabis as a medicinal and spiritual tool. In addition, a non-psychoactive cannabis-based tea was used in Assyria to relieve menstrual pain. Findings at the Tel Arad fortress (built upon a fortified Canaanite site) show that cannabis was burned upon an altar. While it looks like both cultures originally embraced ritual inhalation, some accounts suggest the Israelites likely stopped using intoxicants ceremonially.
- Egyptians: In addition to Assyria and Canaan, evidence has been found in Egypt of early cannabis use for medicinal purposes. How early? In the case of the Ebers Papyrus, 1550 BCE early. And here’s the crazy thing—it’s believed that it’s not an original, but rather a 1550 BCE copy of even older materials. Possibly dating back as far as 3400 BCE. That’s over 5400 years ago! The Ebers Papyrus’ origins aren’t certain, but it’s reputed to have been found between a mummy’s legs in the Theban necropolis. Unlike other, more rationally inclined papyri like the Smith Papyrus, the Eber Papyrus details a mix of magic and potions. And some of those potions were cannabis based.
- India: Hindu legend holds that Shiva—the supreme being in many sects—embraced cannabis (aka Bhang) as a favorite food. Cannabis is, in fact, detailed in The Vedas (religious texts of Hinduism) as one of five sacred plants. The Vedas are believed to have been written between 1500-1200 BCE. Ancient Hindus believed that fevers were caused by the breath of the gods, and that ingesting cannabis appeased those gods. This, in turn, reduced fevers. In addition to medicinal and almost certainly psychedelic use? Indians used a hemp, clay and lime plaster to insulate the caves of Ellora and protect their contents from decay.
- China: Farther east, we find that people in Turpan, China were using cannabis around 2700 years ago. Evidence in the form of cannabis leaves, seeds, and other plant parts points to both ritualistic and medicinal purposes. Turpan, in the Gobi Desert, was a prominent stop on the Silk Road. Its famed bustling trade makes it difficult to determine if seeds or leaves were local or imported. However, in addition to burnt plants, some of the plants in Turpan were laid out fresh and whole in graves as shrouds. Whole, fresh plants don’t tend to travel well. This is believed to indicate that they were grown locally. In addition, a number of cannabis flowers—apparently grown for THC content—were also found in a cemetery in Yanghai near Turpan. It is believed they may have been used to create altered states in an attempt to communicate with the dead.
Speaking of the Yanghai cemetery? We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the grave of an assumed Shaman from around 2,700 years ago. His grave is noteworthy because of the nearly TWO POUNDS of still-green marijuana found in his grave. While the decomposition of the weed over the millennia has undone any psychoactive effects? Researchers are certain that the cannabis contained THC, as well as CBD and CBN. That the plant material had been carefully picked clean of male plant components (remember, only the girls get you high)? Makes it even more likely that this weed was for ritualistic purposes.
Also in China, Jirzankal Cemetery on the Pamir Plateau offers evidence of ritualistic use of cannabis from around 2500 years ago. The archaeological examination of the site turned up ten braziers—pans for holding smoldering coals—that had been used for burning cannabis. Some have heralded this as evidence of “the earliest pot smokers,” but, as we’ve seen? Other areas boast of possibly earlier use.
- Russia: In a bit of a surprising twist, a woman’s 2500 year-old mummified body was found in the Altai Mountains in 1993. She was nicknamed “The Siberian Ice Maiden” and “The Ukok Princess” after the permafrost plateau where she was found. She is believed to have died from a fall while suffering advanced breast cancer at a very young age. She bore intricate tattoos and was buried with personal items, including six horses, a cosmetics bag, and a container of cannabis. Scientists believe she used the cannabis in her life for much-needed pain control. They also believe that her cannabis-altered states may have led her community to believe she could speak with spirits and gods. The style of burial was akin to that of royalty, and it is clear she was a valued and deeply cared-for “princess.”
Let’s take a moment to think about this. 2,600+ years ago people were already putting torch to weed and inhaling the smoke for mind-altering purposes. They were already breeding plants for higher psychoactive compounds. They were already using weed medicinally and psychedelically. It’s a bit mind-blowing when looked at from that perspective. And this knowledge? Is in its infancy! As new discoveries are made and new methods of archaeological investigation mastered? We will continue to build upon our knowledge and come to understand, even more intimately, the amazing origins of cannabis! Will we ever be able to definitively answer the question, “Who was the first person to smoke weed?” Probably not, but our money’s on Brad. He just has that “first!” vibe to him.
But Where Did It All Go Wrong?
As we’ve discussed before, weed didn’t become the Devil’s Lettuce until quite recently. Cannabis had literally thousands of years of positive, healthy, beneficial use before the 20th century turned it into something “bad.” From religion to medicine to just plain enjoyment, cannabis has earned its place as a beneficent and benign friend. For you folks of the 70s and 80s, it may seem like a far-flung fantasy, how far we’ve come on the road to legalization. But for weed? Well, the moralizing, racist, corporate throttling was just a bump in its illustrious path. Weed was and is again a prime example of the beautiful interplay possible between humans and the earth when reason prevails.
Everything Old is New Again
Now we know. Despite the protests of 20th Century grandparents and authority figures, fact is, cannabis does not spring forth from Satan’s smoke shop. Cannabis has an almost unimaginably long and illustrious history of being the friendliest of plant friends. It has been food, shelter, comfort, and blessed relief. It speaks to our minds and our spirits in a way no other plant friend can. From Tel Arad to Russia’s Altai Mountains and everywhere in-between, cannabis made its way. From there to here. So, when you light up? You’re not just getting high. No, you’re taking part in a millennia-old tradition of self-care, healing, and maybe even communing with something bigger than us. You’re becoming a part of the history of cannabis. And what better way to celebrate that oneness than finding the perfect strain? Something old to harken back? Or something new to celebrate weed’s amazing evolution? Either way, you can order online from any of our convenient locations and then swing on by. Be a part of weed’s proud history!