Hearing the word marijuana, illegal drugs comes to our mind. But have you ever asked yourself how this kind of plant became dangerous or does it have benefit also?
Marijuana comes from Mexican Spanish, but the reason how this name formed is not clear. In ancient china and Egypt, it is used as a traditional medicine to cure soreness from gout, rheumatism, etc. the ancient Greeks also used cannabis to relieve inflammation. The plant also referred to as hemp. Hemp fibers used by Chinese for fabric and ropes starting as far back as 1000 bc. It is also used to make fish nets. The world’s oldest piece of paper dates back to around 500 bc and was made of hemp fibers. The seeds believed when take in excess it will produce hallucinations. Later on it is used as anesthesia during surgery. The Romans and Vikings began to use hemp fibers for ropes. Both cultures relied heavily on sailing ships for exploration, colonization and trade. Venetians used hemp as a fabric that nearly as lovely as those made of silk. Hemp became a major sea powered around 1500ad, to the point that the English farmers could not supply the demand anymore because of its much usage so they began to import the fiber from Russia. There’s a letter also documented the need for 50 tons of hemp for the USA constitution. This is the fabric used to the flag that rose during the US Independence Day. The paper used for the declaration of independence was also in the different religion doctrine like it is mentioned in hindi sacred text atharvaveda (science of charms) as “sacred grass” one of the sacred plants of India. It is used by medicinally and ritually as an offering to Shiva. The Zoroastrian Zend-Avesta, an ancient Persian religious text of several hundred volumes and said to have been written by Zoroaster, refers to bhang as Zoroaster’s “good narcotic “(Vendidad or the law against demons). Aside from what is said above about the different usage of marijuana it is popularly used for war. During the World War II, hemp was needed for parachutes, cordage and other military supplies. American farmers were given incentives to grow hemp for the war effort. Oakum is a twisted and tared hemp fibers that were pounded in between the boards of a ship as waterproofing. In Khorassan, Persia, Hasan Ibn al-sabbah, the legends develop around their supposed use of hashish. These legends are some of the earliest written tales of the discovery of the inebriation powers of cannabis and the supposed use of hashish. These legends are some of the earliest written tales of the discovery of the inebriation powers of cannabis and the supposed use of hashish. Journeys of Marco Polo in which he gives second-hand reports of the story of “ hasan ibn al-sabbah and his assasins” using hashish. First time reports of cannabis have been brought to the attention of Europe.
When twentieth century came, cannabis extracts used as a part of modern medications and this are the following:
- Bromidia: Cannabis and chloral hydrate, a hypnotic for “restlessness.”
- •From Squibb, Zinc phosphide and cannabis pills: They also contained strychnine and sodium arsenate (a form of arsenic); chocolate coated, for “neuralgia, sciatica and spasmodic pains generally.”
- •Da-Ka-Ta: Medication for corns on the feet.
- •Dr. Macalister’s Cough Mixture: Cannabis, chloroform and alcohol, for children and adults. “A safe and sure remedy.”
- •Neuralgic pills: Main contents opium and cannabis.
- •Chlorodyne: Morphine, cannabis and nitroglycerin.
After the Mexican revolution in 1910, many Mexican immigrants made their way into the United States and brought recreational marijuana usage with them. The reaction to this uncontrolled immigration initiated some of the first legal attacks on marijuana. In 1913, California was the first state to quietly outlaw cannabis consumption.
It is very clear to the timeline of marijuana how it is very useful since before it’s just that people of the 20th century used it in a wrong way that turns into its bad image today. Remember everything too much is not good.
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