A History Of Cannabis

Today over 150 000 000 (150 million) people regularly consume cannabis, which technically makes it one of the worlds most popular recreational substances.

Cannabis Origins

It is hard to say exactly when (or where) cannabis was first discovered, here is a lot of speculation in this regard, but until recently there hasn’t been much definitive proof. Although written history does point toward human consumption dating back to at least the third millennium BCE, there was never really any physical evidence to back up the text. Now, however, it seems the situation has changed with recent archaeological evidence.

Recent conclusions by an archaeological team led by Yang Yimin and Reg Meng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing shows clear, tangible evidence uncovered within a remote plateau in Central Asia. According to the conclusions made by the team, mourners combusted cannabis in-order-to take advantage of the plant’s psychedelic properties over 2500 years ago.

Following its discovery cannabis has been valued for its ability to provide humans the resources for fiber, rope, medication, food and last (but certainly not least) for it psychoactive properties often utilized for religious or recreational purposes. Today over 150 000 000 (150 million) people regularly consume cannabis, which technically makes it one of the worlds most popular recreational substances.

If you are interested in checking out the study that was submitted by Yang Yimin and his team, click here to go to Science Advances.

If videos are more your thing, don’t worry.. We have you covered! Check out the video below, published by sciencemag.org

Oldest evidence of pot smoking unearthed | sciencemag.org

Restrictions

Some of the earliest restrictions on cannabis where reported within the Islamic community by the 14th century. Onto the 19th century when Colonial countries then followed suit, at which point cannabis use was often associated with racial and class stresses. During the 21st century, some nations started to change their minds about cannabis restrictions, with the goal in mind to decriminalize the wonder-herb.

The Netherlands became the very first nation to officially decriminalize cannabis during the 1970s, selling a wide array of cannabis-related consumables in their coffee shops. In 2015 Uruguay came in second with Canada shortly thereafter in 2018, which was also the year for South Africa, albeit for personal home use only.

Current Day

The globe has been going through some changes in perspective about cannabis over the last few years, and as time goes by, we are seeing more and more locations jumping on the ‘legalize weed’ bandwagon, both due to public demand (for medical and recreational use), as-well-as the obviously-lucrative commercial -and economical opportunities that the canna-market has to offer.

Not Just Cannabis, A Whole Canna-marketplace!

Cannabis has has taken the marketplace by storm, and not only in the form of sweet nuggies! In-fact, the longer time passes, the more innovative delivery methods seem to be hitting the shelves. Some categories include:

Concentrates

Cannabis concentrates are the byproduct of extraction, separating the THC and/or CBD molecules from the cannabis flowers. These processes typically involve the use of solvents or extreme pressure. Products that would be classed under the cannabis concentrates can include cartridges, rosin, resin, hash, wax, kief, and shatter.

Beverages

Cannabis beverages are a pretty big deal at the moment, and are in many cases, normal beverages ‘infused’ with a concentrate that had been ‘pre-activated’ before the fact. These canna-drinks can be found hot, cold, alcoholic, dealcoholized, and in a very wide range of flavors.. Canna-cappuccino anyone??

Edibles

Just like the beverages, cannabis edibles are also very broad in terms of the spectrum of different products made recently available, as-well-as some good old classics that will always be appreciated. Were talking about a wide variety of chocolates, all sorts of soft and hard candy, and a plethora of baked goods. These byproducts also are similar to the beverages in the way that they are just ‘typical recipes’ that have been infused with a cannabis concentrate.

Topicals

At first thought, this category doesn’t seem very interesting, but believe us when we say that cannabis topicals are making an incredible impact on people personally and as a result the marketplace is ‘well fed’. Much like the beverages and edibles above, cannabis topicals are often similar recipes to the traditional products, with an extra secret ingredient (can you guess what it is??). These canna-topicals have been seen available in the forms of lotions, creams, bath related products and more. As the industry grows, it is reasonable to say: we can only expect to see more to come.

Present Day Legal Areas For Cannabis Consumption

At the time of writing, the current list of countries where cannabis is legal for recreational use, legal for medical use, and ‘grey areas‘ (including locations where cannabis has been decriminalised, where there is doubt about the legalities of cannabis, where special circumstances are in-place, and/ or where law enforcement is not widely enforced) are as follows:

Areas Where Cannabis Is Legal For Recreational Use:

Canada
Georgia (Legal for possession and consumption but not for sale, per a July 2018 ruling by the Constitutional Court of Georgia)
South Africa (Legal for possession and cultivation but not for sale.)
Uraguay (Legal, but buying prohibited for foreigners. Cultivation allowed up to six plants.)

Areas Where Cannabis Is Legal For Medical Use:

Argentina
Australia (Legal at federal level and in all states.[16] Qualifying conditions and other details vary by state.)
Bremuda
Canada
Colombia
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark (4-year pilot program beginning in January 2018)
Finland (Legal under licence)
Georgia (Use is legal, but no system for the dispensing of cannabis exists.)
Germany
Greece
Ireland (Legal as part of 5-year pilot program enacted in June 2019)
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
New Zealand
North Macedonia
Norway
Peru
Poland
Portugal
San Marino
South Africa (Use is legal, but no system for the dispensing of medicinal cannabis exists.)
Sri Lanka (Legalized by amendment made in colonial law by 1980s and through the Ayurveda Act.)
Switzerland
Thailand
United Kingdom (Legal for cases of severe epilepsy, vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapy, or multiple sclerosis when prescribed by a registered specialist doctor.)
Uruguay (Legal for all uses.)
Vanuatu
Zimbabwe