The cannabis or hemp plant originally evolved in Central Asia before people introduced the plant into Africa, Europe, and eventually the Americas1. Hemp fiber was used to make clothing, paper, sails, and rope, and its seeds were used as food1. Because it’s a fast-growing plant that’s easy to cultivate and has many uses, hemp was widely grown throughout colonial America and at Spanish missions in the Southwest1. In the early 1600s, the Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut colonies required farmers to grow hemp1.
There’s some evidence that ancient cultures knew about the psychoactive properties of the cannabis plant. They may have cultivated some varieties to produce higher levels of THC for use in religious ceremonies or healing practice1. Burned cannabis seeds have been found in the graves of shamans in China and Siberia from as early as 500 BC1.
In the 1830s, Sir William Brooke O’Shaughnessy, an Irish doctor studying in India, found that cannabis extracts could help lessen stomach pain and vomiting in people suffering from cholera1. By the late 1800s, cannabis extracts were sold in pharmacies and doctors’ offices throughout Europe and the United States to treat stomach problems and other ailments1.
The earliest restrictions on cannabis were reported in the Islamic world by the 14th century2. In the 19th century, it began to be restricted in colonial countries, often associated with racial and class stresses2. In the middle of the 20th century, international coordination led to sweeping restrictions on cannabis throughout most of the globe2. Entering the 21st century, some nations began to take measures to decriminalize or legalize cannabis2.