The Primordial Plant
Picture this. You’re a cannabis farmer. Okay, maybe you actually are one, but stick with us. You’re a cannabis farmer 13,000 years ago. One cold morning you throw on a few pelts and trudge outside to tend to your crop, only to find a herd of Woolly Mammoths grazing in it, and a Saber-Toothed Cat ready to graze on the Mammoths. Yeah. The first marijuana farmers didn’t have to worry about government regulations, but they did have to worry about the dangers of the Ice Age. The point is, cannabis is old. Older, in fact, than wheat. Older than barley. Older than bitter vetch, whatever that is. Many thousands of years before people started referring to pot as an “evil drug,” it was being used for everything from medicine to boat sails to holy anointing oil.
THE BEGINNING, OR HOW WE OWE EVERYTHING TO THE ANCIENT CHINESE
In 2500 B.C., the tombs of noble people buried in China were found to contain mummified psychoactive cannabis. Archaeologists believe that the Chinese were the first people to harvest the plant, and that they used it in a myriad of ways, including as an anesthetic for surgery. The Chinese used the strong fiber to make textiles, rope, clothing, and paper. And the same plant that we now smoke for some relaxation and peace was once used by the Chinese to make bow fibers. Cannabis was once a weapon of war!
From China, the word about marijuana spread quickly. Chinese farmers started sharing it with the Koreans. Then an Indo-European group called the Scythians began using it to purify themselves when honoring their dead leaders. They Scythians, who traveled long distances by horse-drawn wagons, took cannabis all over Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The Indians (who called it ghanja, meaning twisted rope) used it for anxiety, and the Greeks and Romans used it to get incredibly high.
Remember what we said earlier about cannabis being made into holy anointing oil? Well, you can actually find a recipe for that oil in the Bible. In Exodus 30:23, God instructs Moses to make the oil using myrrh, cinnamon, and Kaneh-bosom – otherwise known as cannabis. Yeah. Moses got blazed.
THE UNITED STATES, OR HOW CANNABIS BECAME PERSONA NON-GRATA
In the 19th century, cannabis arrived in South America, made its way north to Mexico, then reached the U.S. during the Mexican Revolution. There were many in the United States who welcomed cannabis. But there were many more who weren’t so enthusiastic. You see, this was a time in the U.S. when racial tensions between Americans and Mexican immigrants was very high (sound familiar?). And marijuana was viewed as a drug that was popular with Mexicans. You get the picture.
In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was created, subjecting anybody cultivating or consuming cannabis to fines of up to $2,000 and five years imprisonment. Then in 1952, the Boggs Act increased penalties for marijuana related offenses to a prison sentence of 2 to 10 years and a fine of up to $20,000. And in the 1970’s, as part of Nixon’s war on drugs, the Controlled Substances Act declared that marijuana was equal to heroin and LSD in its potential for harm and abuse, and the federal government would certainly treat it as such.
Of course, things are much different today. Legislation has turned in favor of cannabis. In 2012, our own state of Washington legalized recreational marijuana, and since then seven more states have done the same. A Gallup poll conducted in 2017 showed that 64% of Americans support legalization.
Now that you know its history, get better acquainted with cannabis by visiting our store for some stimulating goodies! Our friendly budtenders are here to answer any questions you may have, and to find the best strains for you. See you soon!
Hemp and Cannabis: Not One in the Same
There are politicians who are still trying to wrap their heads around this one, but the fact is that hemp and cannabis are not the same thing. It’s easy to equate the two. After all, they both come from the same plant, and they are often used interchangeably in conversation. But hemp and marijuana are quite different. How different? Glad you asked!
NO HIGH, NO HOW
If you smoke hemp, you won’t get high. Give it a try. You can smoke it from morning til night and it won’t make a difference. In fact, you’ll probably just get a nasty headache. There just isn’t enough THC in hemp to have a psychoactive effect. While marijuana can contain 5-20% of THC on average, hemp will top out at .3% max. No, hemp won’t get you high. But it’s a heck of an agricultural and industrial product.
THEY’RE RELATED, BUT THEY SURE DON’T LOOK IT
Again, hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, but they don’t look the same. Remember the movie TWINS? Ok, think of hemp as Arnold Schwarzenegger and marijuana as Danny DeVito. Hemp has strong, fibrous stalks that can reach heights of 20 feet. Marijuana, on the other hand, is short and bushy. Another difference? Hemp has very few branches and flowering buds. Marijuana has broad leaves and compact buds that are often hairy. They have the same momma, but you’d never know it by looking at them.
HEMP IS LOW MAINTENANCE, POT IS A PAIN
Take a drive around the American Midwest and you might find hemp growing in patches of weeds. Yeah. Hemp grows wildly and easily. In fact, it can tolerate all manner of climates. But if you’ve ever tried growing marijuana in your dorm room, then you know it needs a carefully controlled environment. Cannabis is sensitive. It needs a warm and humid atmosphere, and a lot of TLC.
YOU CAN MAKE A DOG BED OUT OF HEMP, BUT DON’T GIVE YOUR DOG POT
Hemp can be made into a slew of widely used products, like paper, clothes, canvas, twine, fuel, body lotions and oils, construction materials, food, paint, detergent, and even boat sails. You can even eat hemp seeds like nuts.
You’d have a pretty hard time making a new suit from marijuana, but it makes up for its lack of industrial utility by getting you high. And, it might do WAY more than that. Studies suggest that cannabis may decrease anxiety, control seizures, reverse the carcinogenic effects of tobacco, slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and even stop cancer cells from spreading. Not bad for the Danny DeVito of plants.
If you have any questions about hemp vs. marijuana, remember that our friendly budtenders can give you answers. Stop by and let’s chat!