Cannabis History
In China, cannabis seeds are used for food.
Chinese farmers cultivate the plant for its fiber to make clothing and rope.
First known use of cannabis being used as a medicine.
In Egypt, the Ebers papyrus mentions using cannabis topically for inflammation.
Greek physician Dioscorides writes that boiled cannabis roots are used to alleviate inflammation.
Roman and Greek physician Claudius Galen writes about dessert cakes containing cannabis seeds served in Italy and their psychoactive effects.
The use of hashish becomes popular in the Middle East.
Spaniards bring cannabis to Chile for making products with its fiber.
Swedish botanist and physician Carolus Linnaeus, known for created a system for naming and organizing species, classifies the plant as Cannabis Sativa Linnaeus (L.) in his well-known botanical taxonomy. Linnaeus states that the genus Cannabis sativa contains one species of plant.
Biologist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck classifies a plant that he discovered in India as a separate species, Cannabis indica.
Napoleon's soldiers are introduced to hashish during the Egyptian campaign and bring cannabis back with them to France.
Dr. William B. O'Shaughnessy publishes his research findings on the medicinal uses of cannabis, highlighting the plant's efficacy as an anti-convulsant and muscle relaxant.
Persian pharmacies in American start selling medicinal products containing cannabis.
German botanist Walther Otto Müller’s drawing of Cannabis sativa L. is published in the Franz Eugen Köhler’s book Medizinal-Pflanzen.
British physician J. Russel Reynolds, appointed physician-in-ordinary to Queen Victoria’s household, publishes his 30 years of acquired knowledge about the plant and the challenge of its pharmacological use due to inconsistencies in potency.
The Federal Bureau of Narcotics is formed.
The film Reefer Madness is released. Considered one of the worst films ever made, Reefer Madness is an exploitation film about the dangers of cannabis and was originally intended to serve as a morality tale. The film has acquired a cult following for its satirical, misinformed views and blatant anti-cannabis propaganda.
The Marihuana Tax Act passes. Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry Anslinger leads the campaign against cannabis, resulting in the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act. While other countries had already banned the plant, the U.S. government held back on a ban because of the plant's industrial uses, namely seed, oil, and plant fibers, and also due to cannabis research into therapeutic uses of the plant. The act halts the recreational use of cannabis. It fractures the economics of the U.S. hemp industry and virtually eliminates cannabis testing and scientific study.
The cannabis psychoactive cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is identified as the intoxicating component in cannabis.
The U.S. categorizes cannabis as a Schedule I drug. A drug that is considered not to have a medical use and has a high potential for abuse.
During a press conference President Richard Nixon declares drug abuse “public enemy number one.” The term “War on Drugs” is coined by the media.
Paul McCartney is arrested in Tokyo, Japan for possessing 8 ounces of cannabis and spends 9 days in jail.
The human body's endocannabinoid system (ECS) is discovered, and scientists learn how plant cannabinoids work with the ECS. The ECS regulates systems in the human body, including immune response, inflammation, memory, pain control, and sleep.
Presidential candidate Bill Clinton says in a CBS interview, “When I was in England I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn't like it. I didn't inhale.”
California becomes the first state to legalize cannabis for medical purposes.
Colorado and Washington become the first states to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes.
The Rohrabacher-Farr amendment passes. The amendment prevents people complying with state medical cannabis laws from federal prosecution.
A team of archaeologists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovers physical evidence that people 2,500 years ago burned cannabis to get high during funeral proceedings and mourning.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) proposes to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. Schedule III drugs have a lower risk of dependence, and the rescheduling could bolster positive perceptions of cannabis’ medical and therapeutic benefits.
Present Day
Today, cannabis is consumed recreationally by more than 150 million people regularly, and science continues to discover compounds and therapeutic uses for the plant that were previously unknown.
In the United States, medical use of cannabis is legal in 38 states, four U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia (D.C.). Recreational use of cannabis is legal in 24 states, three U.S. territories, and D.C. (2024)