The History of Cannabis
Cannabis sativa L. is probably indigenous to wet habitats of the Asiatic continent. It has been used for medicinal and industrial purposes for more than 5,000 years. The earliest known descriptions of medical Cannabis are found in ancient Chinese and Indian folklore. For example, in writings about the mythical Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung, concerning “ma.” And a about decade ago, researchers in China discovered a stash of medical cannabis and seeds dating back nearly 2,700 years.
In botanical layperson’s terms, “Cannabis” and “Cannabis sativa L.” refer to plants, and the lowercase, non-italicized, “cannabis,” refers to the end-product medicine, be it in the form of plant material (flowers) or concentrates (kif, oil, shatter, etc.)
Cannabis in The United States
Cannabis sativa L. has a complicated and colorful history in the United States. America’s first Cannabis law was enacted at Jamestown Colony, Virginia, during the 1600’s. At that time, all farmers were ordered to grow hemp for its textile fiber. Hemp is an industrial form of ‘fiber biotype’ Cannabis sativa L., with low levels of the psychoactive medicinal compound THC, and higher levels of the non-psychoactive medicinal compound CBD.
For example, the hemp plant was used as a food source thanks to its nutritional and oil-rich seeds, as medicine, and by the U.S. Navy for its ropes. Due to the demand for hemp, Jamestown later enacted an additional cultivation law in 1631. And in 1632, Connecticut passed a similar law, as did the Chesapeake colonies in the 1700’s. At one point, hemp became so valuable that it was an acceptable form of legal tender in several U.S. states.
During the Beat Generation of the 1950’s, thanks to beatniks like Jack Kerouac, and into the 1960’s thanks to hippies, people across the U.S. began to use Cannabis medically once again. Years later, California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis, first passing laws locally through the early 1990’s, then statewide in 1996. Following California’s lead, other states began to adopt legislation for growth and use Cannabis and its medicines, including Michigan in 2008. However, even to today, the Federal Government does not recognize cannabis as a medicine, and considers it as illegal as heroin and methamphetamines.
Every Michigan County Voted Yes to Proposal 08-1
Which legalized medical marijuana in Michigan. Today, medical Cannabis is cultivated by professionals and amateurs (‘home growers’). Many have spent decades honing their skills. And thanks to the availability of modern horticulture technology, today’s growers can produce medical Cannabis not possible even a decade ago.
For example, today growers can produce medical Cannabis with specific colors (flavonoids and carotenoids), flavors and aromas (terpenes), and cannabinoids (e.g., THC and CBD), some of which may work in unison for ancillary-additive medicinal effects.
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