MARIJUANA USE DATES BACK ALMOST 5,000 YEARS

Before the war on drugs, and before marijuana culture in America, cannabis was a popular drug for thousands of years and many ancient civilizations used cannabis for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. In 2013 scientists discovered the earliest case of marijuana use ever found in Pakistan where a man was burried in the Hindu Kush Mountains. The prehistoric tomb had cannabis seeds, resin, and ash in a pit, which researchers believe were used for ritual purposes. Before the tomb was discovered in Pakistan, China was home to the oldest grave of 2,700 years ago when a shaman was buried with a 2-pound stash of marijuana. Interestingly enough, the 2-pound stash featured no male plants, which are less psychoactive, showing both education and forethought towards the drug. Ancient Egyptian culture also highly regarded marijuana both medically and spritually. Egyptian scrolls and even the oldest known complete medical textbook reference medical uses for the plant way back in 3,000 BC.

Genetic and chemical analysis revealed that the herbs found in the grave were cannabis. It was also found that all the male plants which are less psychoactive than their female counterparts were picked out of the 2-pound stash.

This may indicate that the ancient civilization was aware of and made use of the psychoactive properties associated with the plant. The individual found with the 2-pound stash was said to be a member of the Gushi civilization around the age of 45 and a shaman.

An ancient Egyptian papyrus scroll dating back to 1700 BC was found to contain some of the first known medical references to marijuana. Hemp which is made from the male cannabis plant was used in ancient Egypt as a material to make things like rope and fine linens.