Cannabis (/ˈkænəbɪs/) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: Cannabis sativa, C. indica, and C. ruderalis. Alternatively, C. ruderalis may be included within C. sativa, all three may be treated as subspecies of C. sativa, or C. sativa may be accepted as a single undivided species. The genus is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from Asia.
Kentucky hemp harvest, 1895
Kentucky was the greatest producer of hemp in the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries, when it was the source of three fourths of U.S. hemp fiber. Production started to decline after World War I due to the rise of tobacco as the cash crop in Kentucky and the foreign competition of hemp fibers and finished products. In 1970, federal policies virtually banned the production of industrial hemp during the war on drugs saying all Cannabis sativa is a Schedule I controlled substance. Federal law under the Agricultural Act of 2014 allowed research back into hemp. Kentucky began production again with 33 acres in 2014. As of the 2016 harvest season, only two U.S. states other than Kentucky had over 100 acres (40 ha) in hemp production: Colorado and Tennessee. The first 500-acre commercial crop was planted in Harrison County in 2017, and research permits were issued for over 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) that year. The 2016 documentary Harvesting Liberty concerns the 21st century Kentucky hemp industry. (Full article...)
Then legal hashish-shop in Kathmandu (Nepal) on 27 Jun 1973
Credit: Roger McLassus
Hashish (often shortened to hash, and also referred to by countless slang terms such as chocolate) is a psychoactivedrug derived from the Cannabis sativa plant. It is solid, of varying hardness and pliability, softening under heat. Its colour can vary from reddish brown to black, and can also be greenish or golden. It is usually smoked in pipes, and sometimes in joints mixed with tobacco or Cannabis buds. It can also be added to cookies or other food and ingested. Hash is used for its relaxing and mind-altering effects. Many people have claimed that using it gives them great insights.
Image 16The use of cannabis, at least as fiber, has been shown to go back at least 10,000 years in Taiwan. "Dà má" (Pinyin pronunciation) is the Chinese expression for cannabis, the first character meaning "big" and the second character meaning "hemp". (from Medical cannabis)
Image 25The Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE) from Ancient Egypt has a prescription for medical marijuana applied directly for inflammation. (from Medical cannabis)
Image 26A dried bud, typical of what is sold for recreational use
Image 27An advertisement for cannabis americana distributed by a pharmacist in New York in 1917 (from Medical cannabis)
Image 28Illustrating various forms of medicinal cannabis (from Medical cannabis)
Image 40Three theories of classification for Cannabis. From left to right, monotypic with three subspecies (A), polytypic consisting of up to three species (B), and single phenotypically diverse species (C). (from Cannabis)
Image 41Dried hemp stalks displayed at the International Hemp Fair in Vienna (from Hemp)
Image 42A hemp field in Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany, France, which is Europe's largest hemp producer as of 2022 (from Hemp)
Image 43The number of publications about marijuana/cannabis according to Web of Science (from History of cannabis)
Image 44Hemp being grown in Oregon in 2020 (from Hemp)
Image 45The Chinese character for hemp (麻 or má) depicts two plants under a shelter. Notably, the same character also means "numb". Cannabis cultivation dates back at least 3000 years in Taiwan. (from History of cannabis)
The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.