It’s common knowledge that our species has always been able to tame the bounties of Mother Nature.
Two stones in your hands? Let’s make a fire. A wave on the sea? Let’s surf it. Snow on the mountains? Let’s go skiing. Grass under our feet? Let’s smoke it.
MADE IN CHINA
While the majority of people today associate cannabis with the scourge of society, it’s important to point out that it’s also one of mankind’s oldest exploits.
Cannabis has been around since the Neolithic era, a period which is firmly rooted in history as the most important in terms of technical and social change, following several improvements in agriculture and animal husbandry.
The first green traces of cannabis date back 6,000 years to China, where it was used to make clothes, oils, food and in various writings by the emperor Shen Nung who already stipulated its medicinal value.
It was then found in India, Africa, Mexico and, above all, the Middle East, whose nomads helped bring cannabis to Africa and Europe. In turn, the world’s different countries accepted and recognized its value.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Mexican Revolution and its coups d’état led to the departure of thousands of migrants to the United States, and with them came cannabis in their suitcases. This migration gave rise to a more recreational use of the drug.
Unfortunately, cannabis use became the sole reason for the various criminal acts committed by Hispanic immigrants, and prejudice was rife, prompting the announcement of prohibition.
CUTTING THE WEED UNDER THE FOOT
In 1915, Utah became the first state to prohibit its use, and a year later France and Great Britain followed suit.
Cannabis became illegal in 29 U.S. states in 1931.
America pioneered the media campaign to ban cannabis, and several campaigns led by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics were launched:
In 1937, the U.S. Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Acta law imposing severe penalties on the sale and possession of marijuana.
GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN
In 1977, the Netherlands legalized the use and sale of cannabis in “coffe shops”.
For the first time, we see a solid break in the line between soft and hard drugs.
While the Netherlands is beginning to “ease up” on marijuana, other European countries such as Spain and the Czech Republic are following suit.
2005 saw the renewal of a more lax approach to cannabis consumption, with the relaxation of legislation in countries such as Canada, Uruguay and the UK.
Prescription THC is now authorized and pharmaceutical laboratories have officially purchased cannabis in Morocco for the first time.
On January 20, 2009, Obama became President of the United States, symbolically declaring in a campaign interview that he had once used weed as a student.
In 2012, Colorado and Washington led the way in allowing the sale and use of marijuana for people over 21.
On November 8, 2016, the most populous state in the USA, California, legalized recreational marijuana by referendum.
Today, medical cannabis is on sale in Portugal, Italy, Romania, Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany.
France, for its part, has decided to remain on the sidelines, believing that opening up cannabis for medical purposes would be the first step towards full legalization…
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Jacob
