The History of Cannabis
Transcript
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[0:08] What's up you amazing listeners. I'm Chronic from the Cannabis Chronicles on Instagram and YouTube, as well as the host of this amazing podcast brought to us by Homegrown Cannabis Co. Be sure to head over to www.homegrowncannabisco.com to snag your top-notch cannabis seeds. Remember to follow along on whichever platform you're tuning in from, so you never miss out on any episode that we post, like this really exciting
[0:31] episode I have for you all today. I've been waiting to write this one for so long, and I am so happy to finally get to do this. In today's episode, we're going to be breaking down the history of cannabis, cannabis in various religions, and how cannabis ended up around the world. We are also going to discuss how in the hell we went
[0:50] from our Founding Fathers in America being hemp farmers and the first-ever cannabis law being that if you are a farmer, you have to grow it, to this insane war on cannabis that we have now with the DEA. All due to one of the most corrupt presidents to ever step foot into the office, Nixon. This episode is going to discuss
[1:09] politics, religion, and history all at once, unbiased. However, I want to warn all of you that I will be discussing what-if points from a theistic or religious standpoint on cannabis with a historian's point of view. I'm not personally religious, so I'm not putting bias into these topics. I'm spiritual, but that isn't important. What's important is that we all understand that I am not on this
[1:33] episode today to tell any of you what to believe in. What I'll be discussing is the entire history of cannabis throughout time as we have it documented, or legends say. Take it for what it is, legends, myths, and hypotheticals mixed in with a lot of facts. So be sure to pack a big old fat bowl of the best bud you have and drop the fattest
[1:56] dab you can handle, and let's get elevated into some of the best cannabis content I can rant about. Let's begin. Now, the first form of cannabis that is mentioned or known about in the entire world comes from China. The Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica was allegedly written in 2800 BCE, with the earliest surviving copy dating back to 50 BC. In this book, writer
[2:23] Shen Nong was believed to be part of a group of three kings called the Celestial Emperors. These emperors were half human, half deity, and it's believed that Shen Nong ruled over China for countless years before any other ruler. Shen Nong is believed to be responsible for inventing irrigation, agriculture, the ax, the hoe, the plow, acupuncture, along with countless other Chinese medical
[2:48] traditions. Shen Nong was believed to have discovered cannabis early on, treating people for ailments like gout, rheumatism, malaria, absentmindedness, and many other ailments. Chinese also called cannabis ma, and would predominantly use it to make textiles and clothing from its fibers. Now, around 200 AD, a physician named Hua Tuo became the first person to use anesthetic during a surgery, nearly
[3:15] 1,600 years before anyone in Western civilization would. His formula for his anesthesia did not survive. However, the name of it is ma fei san. This is believed to be a brew of alcohol, such as wine, with a combination of cannabis, datura, mandrake, and possibly swapping cannabis for opium or adding opium as well. Cannabis was one of the 50 fundamental herbs in the traditional
[3:41] Chinese toolkit for many, many years following this as well. Confucius, China's most famous philosopher, mentions ma or cannabis throughout countless of his writings in his collections in the Book of Odes. Along with that, cannabis has been found countless times burned or unburned at various burial grounds in Siberia and throughout China. Taoist monks in ancient China also used cannabis in incense
[4:07] burners, believing the smoke could achieve some sort of immortality for them. They did also consume cannabis with ginseng, believing the combination of the two would give them the ability to set time forward and see future events. Now, how did cannabis supposedly travel from ancient China to the rest of the world? Well, through countless trade routes, cannabis spread throughout the East
[4:30] fairly rapidly, creating its imprints into Indian cultures. China was also known as the land of hemp and mulberry during this era as well, which definitely makes it pretty believable that cannabis could have come heavily from Asia. Now, along with these trade routes, many tribes and various farmers would also plant hemp or cannabis seeds along the great rivers of the world, such as the Ganges River or the Yellow River.
[4:55] The Yamna culture is believed to be responsible for traveling many of these trade routes that spread across Europe and spreading cannabis seeds throughout these places, including these great rivers. The Aryans, which were a subset of many of those Yamna tribes, ended up migrating during this era in time from the north to what is now India. They ended up merging colonies
[5:17] with those already living within that region, which is where the Indian Aryan language blossomed. This is also where Indian, Iranian, and various other cultures would develop from. This proto-culture, as we know it, were responsible for the first earliest written language as well, Sanskrit. Some of the earliest Sanskrit texts, the Veda, are still in existence today and are the basis of our knowledge of an ancient
[5:43] Indian history, as well as being very vital to the spirituality of religious texts for both Zoroastrian and Hindu faiths. Now, in ancient China, cannabis was known as ma. However, in these early proto-cultures, it became known as bhang. Bhang is mentioned as one of the five sacred plants in the fourth Veda. Now, keeping in line with where we are at
[6:06] in time, with trade routes taking cannabis from ancient China to now developing India, we now have the development of gods like Shiva. Shiva is referred to as the Lord of Bhang in several legends in Hindu culture, on top of being important for countless other spiritual practices and reasons. There are countless legends and lores surrounding Shiva and bhang.
[6:26] Which one of the legends states that Shiva was in the midst of an argument with his family when he would escape to the mountains. As he climbed and climbed, he grew exhausted and tired from the journey, and the sun beating down on him. He would then lay down and fall asleep under a plant. When he awoke, unique aromas filled the air, and
[6:44] Shiva decided he would taste this interesting smelling plant. Rejuvenated once he consumed the leaves, Shiva would then make ganja his favorite food. Bringing ganja to humanity like Prometheus brought us fire, Shiva would also bring the art of yoga as well. Yoga would be an instruction manual or how to practice for using this sacred herb properly. As a result, devotees of Shiva still consume bhang, ganja,
[7:10] and charas, the three traditional preparations of cannabis, to this day in Hindu religions. Bhang lassi is the most commonly consumed bhang today, mimicking mango lassi, but instead of mango, they use bhang. This drink is primarily used on holidays such as Holi and Shivratri, which is the festival of Shiva. Even in illegal places, during these traditional festivals, exemptions are actually made for bhang to be consumed during those
[7:36] events. There are also another group of holy men and devotees of Shiva called the Sadhus, which smoke ganja and charas daily to bring them closer to Shiva. Hinduism, however, is not the only Indo-Aryan religion to incorporate cannabis into its culture. Buddhism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrian faith all have collected and adopted traditions that involve cannabis. So during this time period, from BC to AD, where religions,
[8:04] cultures, languages, and tribes were being formed, cannabis was being heavily used in religious practices throughout Asia, now India, and various other places in the world. The Vedic religious tradition, which is the proto-religion of the Indo-Aryan people, served as the origin for both Zoroastrianism and Hinduism, with Hinduism developing in the Indian subcontinent during this era, and Zoroastrian faith flourishing in Iran and that
[8:32] area. Now, this is where the world really gets interesting, and cannabis begins to travel at rapid rates from the East to the West as the Persian Empire begins to develop. During that time, the Persian prophet Zoroaster is believed to be the first to make any mention of cannabis as a sacrament. In the Zend Avesta, a collection of important religious text in Zoroastrianism,
[8:54] hemp appears first in a list of over 10,000 medical plants. It was considered the chief religious sacrament of the priest class during this era, which made it nearly impossible to obtain for the common people. The priestly class would consume bhang, or referred to as bhanga or mang, mixed with wine, where it's said they would rest their bodies while they would take a spiritual journey in their
[9:17] mind. Now, during these times, there were very little depictions of heaven, hell, or any religious places we believe to be in existence. That is until many of the early depictions of heaven and hell were created through Zoroastrian journeys through these realms, such as one particular priest by the name of Arda Viraf. Arda was known for using bhang and traveling through these realms and
[9:39] portraying them upon his return. During this time in India, a new religion was developing as well, based on the teachings by a sage named Siddhartha Gautama, who, according to legend, Gautama the Buddha subsided on a diet of cannabis for six years before his revelations could ascend to Buddhahood. It's said that he sat beneath the Bodhi tree for 40 days and 40 nights,
[10:02] consuming only a single hemp seed per day. So during the rise of the Persian Empire, this religion was beginning to form and take hold in India as well, which shows proof of this timeline as since in the Maha Nirvana Tantra, bhang is said to exist in the Great Liberation. A prayer is contained in the sacred religious text that is supposed to
[10:23] accompany the consumption of bhang. This prayer, when translated, reads, "May this cannabis be a blessing to my heart," which shows us great importance cannabis had in many of these early civilizations. Now in Sikhism, which also formed during this time period, bhang is the only exemption of psychoactive substance they can consume, as their religion forbades all other consumption of drugs and alcohol.
[10:48] They call bhang sukha, which stands for comfort giver in Sikhism. The Sikhs actually had a group of warriors that were known to consume sukha, and they are still popular to this day and are still warriors in action. They are called the Nihang Sikhs. One thing to keep in mind is that the Aryan tribes that settled Iran formed the Persian Empire during this time.
[11:10] And if you're wondering how cannabis spread so much in one empire, well, the Persian Empire spread from the borders of India all the way to Egypt by 500 BCE, which was an insanely vast empire. Now, time frames might be a little rough, as we've gone through several hundreds of years of civilizations now So we're going to fast-forward, and we'll move up to the 1800s really quickly.
[11:37] During this time when opium and other drugs of concern were made illegal in British colonies, we do have documents of a commission that was set up, and this commission created a report on the importance of cannabis in Indian culture during this timeframe. This is British colonies, remember, in the 1800s. It concluded that suppressing the use of bhang
[11:56] was unjustifiable due to its ancient religious use amongst Hindus and the fact that it was harmless if used in moderation. Now, that's quite interesting to have that document written in British colonies about bhang from Indian culture during the 1800s, as it shows we have known about cannabis for a very long time. As a matter of fact, we can go back in time even more, as
[12:19] historians suggest Egyptians had knowledge of cannabis 1,500 years prior to the rise of the Persian Empire. The oldest complete medical text to date, the Kahun Papyrus, contains reference to a plant called the shemshemtu, which was created by the sun god Ra, which was used in ceremonies honoring the dead. It is believed to have been cannabis. Shemshemtu was used medicinally in combination with honey as well
[12:46] for topical treatments like inflammation, amongst other medical practices. Along with shemshemtu being potentially cannabis documented 1,500 years prior to the Persian Empire, the goddess Seshat is almost universally depicted with a seven-pointed symbol above her head, which is supposedly representing a seven-fingered cannabis leaf. Along with that, hemp fibers and hemp pollen have been found in tombs such as
[13:10] Akhenaten and Ramesses II, with Ramesses II dying nearly 700 years prior to the Persian conquest of Egypt. So how did cannabis get into his chamber? How long have humans grown cannabis? Well, if you think that history stops there, be sure to pack another big bowl of that bomb bud and drop another dank dab as we take a short break. However, stay tuned, as when we come back, I'll
[13:35] be telling you all about Greeks and their journey with cannabis as well. Hey, Kyle Kushman here. Sorry to interrupt such an amazing podcast, but I got to tell you about one of Home Grown's latest cultivars. We call her Purple Jazz. She's a cross of Granddaddy Purple and Dosido, so you know you're getting your hands on some genuine cannabis
[14:05] royalty. As blue-blooded and aristocratic as it gets, she's great for beginners and delivers anything up to 19 ounces per plant outdoors, the same per meter squared indoors. Great yields, sure, but what I love about Purple Jazz is the colors, the smells, and the flavor. It's a totally sensual plant, as in all your senses will be going wild.
[14:26] Her 22% THC is awesome for seasoned tokers, but newbies might want to wait a few minutes between rips. You know what I mean? Jump on Home Grown, type in Purple Jazz, and may your next few months be euphoric. I'm Kyle Kushman. Never stop growing. And we're back from that amazing break. I hope you all are elevated and ready to break into some more amazing
[14:50] content. In that first segment, we started our journey back in ancient China with cannabis and ended with Egypt and the Persian Empire. Now it's time to talk about Greece and its history with cannabis. The Greeks had a relationship with cannabis, having the Greek historian Herodotus being the first person to make mention of cannabis in Western culture. He wrote that the Scythian people, a nomadic tribe he encountered during his
[15:12] travels, used cannabis in the manufacturing of their clothes, along with religious ceremonies accompanying a funeral. He wrote about them building early tents as well, using hot stones to place cannabis on top of to burn and get intoxicated from the smoke, where they would howl at the moon and dance. Herodotus also made reference to another nomadic tribe who didn't use cannabis for
[15:32] sacramental reasons at all. Instead, they would use it for enjoyment or to party. He wrote they would throw it in the fire until it burned like an incense and they were intoxicated. Then they would dance and sing around the fire. Now, during this era of time during the creation of the Greek Empire, the Persians and Greeks would war and trade during this entire time period,
[15:52] which comes to conclude that during these wars or trades, that may have been how the Persian Empire brought cannabis to Greece. Greek physicians would then be documented using cannabis for medical uses like tumors. However, Grecian use of cannabis for psychoactive purposes didn't exist, at least on paper. Many of the early Greek practices may have been hidden in secret or kept secretive, as more and more secrets began
[16:14] being kept by those ruling over the common folk. Additionally, during this era, the Thracians, another nomadic tribe, had shamans and dancers amongst them that would become known as the smoke walkers, where they used smoke from hemp to bring about a trance-like state for spiritual practices. In fact, the ancient Greek word cannabizen means to burn cannabis. It's believed to have taken place in the form of incense burners, with
[16:36] Greeks burning various resins like cannabizen, frankincense, and others such as myrrh or balsam. Now, through conquest, cannabis found its way to Rome, which would lead cannabis into the hands of the rest of the world here soon. So in the first half of the 20th century, Polish anthropologist Dr. Sula Benet did discover a glaring error in the modern translations of the Bible.
[16:58] She said there were many mentions of the sweet calamus plant and realized only these mentions went as far back as the Septuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. She then realized that the calamus plant had none of the properties mentioned or reported in the Bible, and the original Hebrew script used the term kaneh bosm, which she believed without any doubt meant
[17:20] cannabis. She believed, in fact, that the term kaneh bosm may even predate the Scythian term cannabis. Kaneh bosm was referenced multiple times in the Old Testament, which would fit right in the timeline with the Persian conquest, Greek Empire falling, and Rome seeing cannabis finally. In Exodus chapter 30 in the Bible, which God instructs Moses to make holy anointing oil, it says, "And the Lord spoke to Moses
[17:45] saying, 'Take for yourself choice spices, 500 shekels of pure myrrh, half as much of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of kaneh bosm, and 500 shekels of cassia, and mix this with olive oil.'" This holy anointing oil was used to make the temple, the altar, clothing, burnt offerings, and those anointed most holy. The Bible does say anything that touches the anointed
[18:08] items would also become as holy as well. So in the Old Testament and Judaism, this holy anointing oil was used to baptize the likes of kings and priests, ultimately leading to the Hebrew term Messiah, which Messiah means the anointed one. Which this has scholars now asking if Jesus used cannabis. Now, it's well documented in the Old Testament that sacred incense,
[18:33] burned offerings, and holy anointing oil containing kaneh bosm were an established part of the ancient rituals performed by these ancient Israelites. These ceremonies were conducted in tabernacles, which these were temples similar to their Scythian counterparts who traded and fought against these ancient Jewish people. Which this is why we see the description of kaneh bosm as an exotic
[18:55] herb from a faraway land in the Old Testament. Now, in the New Testament, there is no reference to kaneh bosm, so there is that for those really interested in the Hebrew development of the Bible and kaneh bosm being mentioned multiple times in the Old Testament versus none in the New Testament. Another big hint that early civilization, even in Christian
[19:14] or Judaistic worlds, grew cannabis or knew of it is the fact that Christ is a Greek term meaning the anointed one, as opposed to the very big belief that Jesus's last name is Christ. Christ was given to Jesus to represent that he was anointed in the holy oil that Moses created, which makes one question clear. Did Jesus know of cannabis or cannabossom at the time?
[19:36] During this era, it's said that Jesus would go around anointing common people, taking their sins as his own, allowing them to be holy. This is where the Hebrews would then take violence and action against this anointed man named Jesus, which leads us into the era where Christianity was divided, and thus, cannabis would then be spread across Europe
[19:55] and more and more towards the West. Now after the Hebrews would crucify Christ, we would see cannabis enter the Middle East on its journey towards the West, where there were countless branches of Islam being developed that would already partake in cannabis. There were a specific band of warriors that were actually known for using hash to make them more focused on their targets and make them more in
[20:17] tune with their own movements during this time. These warriors became known as Hashishins, which that word would later become known as the word assassin. Now, during this time, there was punishment for those who would consume hash, as the fear of hash creating Hashishins evolved more drastically. However, there was so much more pushback from the common people, these punishments
[20:37] didn't last long, and hash became an essential part of the Middle East culture with the Iraqi, Afghani, Pakistani, and Lebanese cultures developing. The worry of the violence of the Hashishins consuming hash quickly dissipated, and those realized hash did not make you an assassin. Now, how did cannabis exactly spread throughout the East from China to India, all the way to the Middle East, Europe, and to eventually the Western
[21:00] civilization? Well, we can thank the Roman Empire heavily for that to be 100%. Germanic tribes used hemp or cannabis seeds as a source of food and would later spread them across Europe as wars and conquest would spread. However, as we approach medieval Europe, cannabis was not allowed during this time, and the punishments were horrific and grotesque to match the time. However, many people were still
[21:26] growing hemp and using it for textiles or clothing, just not for personal use, for fear of being punished. Now that we're kind of in this timeline again, we're going to hop back into the 1800s once more, and we won't be traveling back in time anymore. Jamaica would now get its hands on cannabis for the first time in history through
[21:45] indentured servants from India. During this era of time, many people were trading countless slaves or indentured servants from all over the world. These Indian indentured servants introduced ganja to the Rastafarians. The Rastafarians believe that this plant they called wisdom weed is the herb of life mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, cannabossom. They believe this plant can heal all nations and can be consumed in order to get
[22:11] closer to the self and Jah. Jah means the Lord of Israel or the name they've given to Haile Selassie, who is regarded as the incarnation of God. I do apologize if I did not pronounce his name correct. I am trying my best. Now, up until that point in the late Renaissance period, cannabis was pretty much only thought of to be used for
[22:30] textiles and working with its fibers. However, since during this time in America and Europe, tobacco would become niche or popular, smoking would soon become popular as well. Along with that, the Americas just being established by England, the Queen of England actually made a law requiring that all farmers with 60 acres or more farm hemp for the Royal Navy's use for
[22:51] clothing and textile. Which Henry VIII would take advantage of the Queen's orders to hemp farmers building a vast naval fleet with the help of hemp. Along with that, during this time, Spanish and English explorers would also independently introduce cannabis to the Americas through trades with the indigenous population and trades with the established colonies beginning to develop. To put into perspective of those early days or the early
[23:14] era of hemp in America, William Shakespeare is actually believed to have been a prolific cannabis consumer, with scientists having found many of his pipes at his home and testing them positive for cannabis resin. Pretty neat what science can tell us about those in the past. Now, how exactly did we get to where we are today? Well, by the mid-1800s, there was a club that was started in Spain called the
[23:36] Club de Hashishins. This club would consume hash amongst various other drugs and discuss these effects. Charles Baudelaire wrote the poem, "Poem of Hashish," which would document some of his experiences using hash and opium in the club. So now how did we shift from clubs like this existing taking hash and opium, with vice presidents talking about hash experiences in a book called
[23:57] "The Hash Eater" during this time, to a government that we have today that burns complete cannabis fields? Well, by now, in the early 1900s, the early Medical Association was established, which was the first point in history that really took herbal healers out of the equation. The AMA, or American Medical Association, would be the first monopoly in private healthcare sector, which would bring the destruction and
[24:19] downfall to many small businesses due to increased licensing costs to operate a pharmaceutical practice. Soon thereafter, we would see states start to begin to ban cannabis around America, which would set off the initial war on this herb. Now, during this period of banning cannabis, there were places set up that would serve cannabis beverages in a form of a loophole that allowed patrons to
[24:40] consume cannabis. Many jazz musicians were known to support these various places. Gertrude Steins, an American novelist and playwright who used to frequent these places, would fall in love with Alice B. Toklas, who she often is credited to having created the first ever pot brownie during this era as an attempt to create a way of consuming cannabis within these loopholes of the law.
[25:02] Now, even though that sounds like it would help push cannabis back to being legal, William Randolph Hearst would make absolute that cannabis would become illegal. Hearst, who owned most of the media and paper printing factories around this early time, would use his power to publish and push propaganda pieces insisting that Mexican immigrants who smoke cannabis would violently rape women from the effects of this drug.
[25:25] Hearst chose to use the term marijuana as well, which was, at the time, a completely separate plant from Mexico that had no reference to cannabis whatsoever. This would be the first time marijuana would be used as a term relating to cannabis. Then Hearst would spread a new wave of campaign ads as television became available in more and more households,
[25:44] pushing propaganda against cannabis, saying smoking would cause intense violent anger. Paired with ad campaigns, film regulations were beginning to stop anyone public from speaking out against the propaganda. This led to more and more propaganda films against cannabis to come out, such as the notorious film called "Reefer Madness." With all of this propaganda out, little by little, the American people would begin to fear
[26:07] cannabis. Hearst would then begin to use his power to lobby politicians, helping him make his next move, which he would lobby the help of Harry Anslinger, which was the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, which was the precursor to the DEA. Anslinger would then make marijuana his top priority over all the drugs entering the US. He then hastily drafted the Marijuana Tax Act
[26:29] of 1937, which greatly diminished the strength of the hemp industry. The government promised tax cards to farmers who would be eligible for legal hemp grows. However, the bill was passed, and the next day a string of arrests were already made. The AMA actually did oppose this bill, claiming that the bill had been too quickly drafted in secrecy and had not
[26:49] allowed adequate time to prepare an opposition. Also, since they used the term marijuana, they tried to argue the bill was not in reference to hemp or cannabis. Along with that, the mayor of New York in 1938 would create a committee to investigate and fight the Marijuana Tax bill. However, they were unfortunately unsuccessful, and in 1942, cannabis was officially removed from all medical texts in
[27:10] America. With World War II happening, cannabis arrests increasing drastically, and the world on the verge of a true horror, we would find ourselves in the year of 1969 with the Harvard professor, Timothy Leary, who would become known as the man who challenged the United States on the Marijuana Tax Act. In Leary versus the United States, it was determined by
[27:29] a federal judge that the Marijuana Tax Act was unconstitutional, and the law was overruled. However, this win would not last long, as in response to the victory, Congress passed the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 to make sure cannabis remained federally illegal, as they realized cannabis was being used by the anti-war hippie counterculture and being used by the Black
[27:48] Americans who were fighting for civil rights. This is when the DEA was born. President Nixon hired a team of scientists to prove the dangers of cannabis and making his standing on the matter more solidified with hard facts. However, he would regret this decision, as the team of scientists actually proved cannabis was safe and had medical application. However, Nixon would throw out this study and would keep it
[28:10] illegal at the federal level for years to come. This is when Reagan decided to publicly start the war on drugs and focus millions of dollars incarcerating and locking up thousands of innocent, law-abiding individuals that want nothing more than just to medicate daily to help themselves. It's been illegal ever since 1970, and we are here today fighting for the right for everyone to have access to this amazing medicine.
[28:31] As of now, in October of 2021, there are 18 states that have legalized cannabis or decriminalized it. Hopefully, by October of 2022, I can say all 50 states are legal for everyone to consume this amazing plant. Well, everyone, I hope you enjoyed that very long journey through the history of cannabis throughout the various religions, cultures, and time periods.
[28:51] If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow along on whichever platform you're listening from so you don't ever miss out on any episode we post. I'm Chronic from the Cannabis Chronicles on Instagram and YouTube, as well as the host of this amazing podcast, every week brought to us by Homegrown Cannabis Co., which if you'd like to get started on your cultivation journey or you're seeking
[29:08] new strains to add to your garden, check out www.homegrowncannabisco.com for your top-notch seeds. If you need a place to post your grows, head over to www.homegrowndiary.com and sign up for free. Along with that, you can join myself and over 4,000 cultivators on our forum at www.homegrowncannabisco.community where you can sign up for free and tag @Chronic, that's C-R-O-N-I-C, and ask me any
[29:31] questions you have or simply have a chat. If you enjoy free seed giveaways, check out Homegrown Cannabis Co.'s Facebook page and follow @HomegrownWorld on Instagram for daily updates. I do hope you all have an amazing day and enjoyed this episode. Much love, happy growing, and peace. If you enjoyed this video and want to learn more about growing your own cannabis
[30:02] at home, hit that like button, subscribe, and turn those notifications on to keep up to date with the amazing marijuana content Homegrown Cannabis Co. has to offer. See you next time.
In this feature-length Homegrown Cannabis Co. Potcast episode, Kronic traces the entire documented history of cannabis. He starts in ancient China (Shen Nong and "ma," and Hua Tuo's early cannabis anesthesia), follows the trade routes through the Yamna and Aryan migrations into India (bhang, the Vedas, and Shiva the "Lord of Bhang"), and its sacred role across Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. He covers the Persian Empire and Zoroaster, ancient Egypt (shemshemtu and the goddess Seshat), Greece (Herodotus and the Scythians), and the "kaneh bosm" translation debate in the Hebrew Bible — including how "Christ" means "the anointed one" and the Hashishins whose name became "assassin." The story continues through Rome, medieval Europe, Jamaica and the Rastafari, and into the Americas (founding-father hemp laws, Shakespeare's pipes). It closes with prohibition: the AMA, William Randolph Hearst's "marijuana" propaganda and Reefer Madness, the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act, Timothy Leary, Nixon and the birth of the DEA, Reagan's war on drugs, and the state of legalization. Presented as history, legend and hypothesis — explicitly unbiased on religion and politics.
Topics
Intro & Episode Overview 0:08
Ancient China — Shen Nong & "Ma" 1:56
Hua Tuo & Early Anesthesia 2:48
Spread via Trade Routes (Yamna & Aryans) 4:07
India — Bhang & the Vedas 5:43
Shiva, Lord of Bhang 6:06
Sadhus, Buddhism, Sikhism & Zoroastrianism 7:36
The Persian Empire & Zoroaster 8:32
Buddha & Cannabis 9:39
British Colonial Report (1800s) 11:37
Ancient Egypt — Shemshemtu & Seshat 12:19
Greece — Herodotus & the Scythians 14:50
Kaneh Bosm & the Bible 16:58
"Christ" — The Anointed One 19:14
Hashishins & the Word "Assassin" 19:55
Rome, Germanic Tribes & Medieval Europe 21:00
Jamaica & the Rastafari 21:45
Cannabis Reaches the Americas 22:30
Club des Hashischins & the First Edibles 23:36
The AMA & the Start of Prohibition 23:57
Hearst, "Marijuana" & Propaganda 25:02
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 26:29
Timothy Leary, Nixon & the DEA 27:10
Legalization Today & Outro 28:31