Marijuana and its Uses Throughout History

“To the agriculturist, cannabis is a fiber crop; to the physician, it is an enigma; to the user, a euphoriant; to the police, a menace; to the trafficker, a source of profitable danger; to the convict or parolee and his family, a source of sorrow”.

The above quote comes from psychiatrist and medicinal marijuana advocate, Tod Hiro Mikuriya, (September 20^th, 1933 to May 20^th, 2007) and seems to accurately sum up the wide and varied responses this herb has garnered over its cultivation and use throughout history.

Marijuana has been used for everything from religious ceremony to medicinal treatment and has been called everything from “manna from Heaven” to “the devil’s weed”. This article traces its use throughout history, its fall from grace and its recent reinstatement as a useful medicinal drug.

Marijuana – The Years Before Christ

A Chinese treatise on pharmacology from 2,737 B.C. may be one of the earliest records of marijuana being used for medicinal purposes.

It is said that although ancient Greeks used wine for their recreation, trading with cannabis-using peoples may have introduced the herb into their culture. Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, also known as “The Father of History”, spoke of usage of a plant that grew like flax but with taller, thicker stalks and was dried up and used on hot stones in a closed room to produce a vapor. He is quoted as saying, “that no Grecian vapour-bath can surpass. The Scythians, transported by the vapor, shout aloud”.

He went on to describe island people who got together in groups to sit by a fire and throw an herb into it, inhaling the fumes and “by inhaling the fruit that has been thrown on, they become intoxicated by the odour, just as the Greeks do by wine; and more fruit is thrown on, the more intoxicated they become, until they rise up and dance and betake themselves to singing.”

Charred cannabis seeds have been found in an ancient burial site in present day Romania.

In 2003, cannabis leaf fragments were found buried with the body of a 2,800 year old mummified Shaman in China. It is believed that marijuana was also used in Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious practices during early times.

Based on study of certain Scripture, it is believed that even Jesus Christ himself used the herb medicinally in healing oil designed to help cure those suffering debilitating disease.

Shakespeare may have used marijuana as his garden was found to contain traces of cannabis. Perhaps this might explain, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”?

The use of cannabis began its migration westward during fifth century A.D.

Modern Uses of Cannabis

During the time of Napolean, cannabis, which had them been primarily used in the treatment of burns, began to interest scientific members of Napolean’s forces as a sedative and pain-reliever. Interest grew exponentially from 1840-1860 during the rise of the literary movement, and marijuana useage became a popular intoxicant among intellectuals.

In South Africa, women smoked the plant before giving birth and gave a bit of the herb to their children to make the weaning process easier. Back in the early 1900s, African miners would be given three cannabis smoke breaks per day and would work with more energy and less fatigue.

The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes was also growing during a similar time-period in the United States. During the years 1860-1890, it is estimated that over one hundred reports were written in favor of the use of cannabis for various disorders. However, as pharmocological advancements were made and prescription medications gained in popularity and support, cannabis fell out of favor in the medical community and began to be seen as merely a recreational drug.

Reefer Madness

The 1930s ushered in a sudden media firestorm surrounding cannabis. Propaganda posters warned that this drug that had been so long used for medicinal and spiritual purposes would now induce, “Murder, Insanity, Death!” A 1936 movie called “Reefer Madness” depicted four high school students partaking of the drug and finding their lives reduced to madness. The movie includes a homicide, attempted rape, a hit-and-run accident, suicide and a descent into complete insanity. This film was supposedly based on true police accounts of dealings with individuals high on marijuana. This was later proved to be completely false.

The film caused such a strong reaction from the public, it led to a press campaign that created the first anti-marijuana law, called the Marijuana Transfer Tax Act, which was put into effect in 1937. Though the Act did not yet make it a criminal offense to sell or obtain marijuana, it discouraged said activities due to its steep fine and threat of jail time. Since this law was also applied to the production of hemp, which cannot be smoked or used to induce any intoxicating effect, it is believed by some that this inclusion was meant to keep timber companies from going out of business since hemp was so much cheaper to produce.

Again, though the Tax Act did not criminalize the selling or using of marijuana, just one day after the law went into effect, a fifty-seven year old man by the name of Samuel Caldwell was arrested for selling marijuana to a Mexican worker. He was fined $1,000 and sentenced to four years hard labor in Leavenworth State Penitentiary.

The War on Cannabis Continues

The term “Gateway Drug” was coined in 1950 when prohibitionist Harry J. Anslinger, promoter of the “Reefer Madness” propaganda, designed a new scare tactic to say that the use of marijuana was a gateway to the use of heroin and other dangerous narcotics.  In 1956, Anslinger continued his war on marijuana, convincing President Dwight D. Eisenhower to enact the Narcotics Control Act. Marijuana was now put in the same class as heroin and possession of marijuana would now result in two to ten years in prison. In Missouri, a second offense could lead to life imprisonment.

Toward the end of the 1960s, the use of marijuana became more popular on college campuses and earned a place in popular culture by events such as Woodstock and musical groups like The Grateful Dead. This more relaxed attitude toward the drug brought about The Controlled Substances Act, which reduced penalties for the use of marijuana.

The peace did not last long, however. In the early 1970s, President Richard Nixon created the Drug Enforcement Agency, which allowed law enforcement officials to do wire taps and enter any person’s home without notice if any drug activity was suspected.

The 1980s saw President Ronald Reagan’s continuing the war on drugs with a person being arrested every 38 seconds for marijuana possession.

In 1983, the war on drugs attempted a more proactive approach by introducing the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program, which is still being used today. The program consists of a comprehensive ten-week course, where trained police officers visit classes starting in the 5^th grade and discourage controlled drug use, violence and gang activity and offer safer alternatives.

Marijuana Comes Full Circle

In the 1990s, everything came full circle when marijuana was once again spoken of as a viable medical treatment for those suffering from medical conditions such as cancer and glaucoma. In 1996, California passed Proposition 215, the first U.S. Medical Marijuana law.

Medical marijuana use is now legal in the District of Columbia and fifteen states including:

In 2004, the UN did a study that estimated 22.5 million people use marijuana on a daily basis for medical, mental, spiritual or religious purposes. According to the website, Safer Choice, marijuana is far less addictive and safer than alcohol. Still, marijuana remains illegal while alcohol is still a very inexpensive and widely available substance used legally everyday.