Marijuana has been used as a medicinal plant throughout history. Long before the gummies, cookies, oils, tinctures, and other culinary, cosmetic, medical, and recreational applications of marijuana, the Asians, Persians, ancient Greeks and Romans were already using it thousands of years ago.
Cannabis sativa was used to treat different maladies such as inflammation, gout, malaria, and nausea. It was also used for healing wounds, as an anesthetic, and to suppress sexual urges. Some cultures also exploited its psychoactive properties (tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) during religious and healing ceremonies, or rituals.
Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, described how Iranian nomads called “Scythians” would get high by inhaling smoke from burning cannabis flowers and seeds. Moreover, in the Middle East, hashish was widely used for smoking.
Today, aside from the basic forms of weed, the cannabis industry has expanded to include products such as cannabis pizza, beauty and skincare products, CBD oil, cannabis drinks, chocolates, capsules, gummies, and even dog treats.
Hemp and cannabis originated in Central Asia before it was introduced to Africa, Europe, and then the Americas. Asians used hemp fiber for making clothes, sails, rope, paper, and cooking (seeds).
The fast-growing plant was soon being cultivated in colonial America and Spanish missions. Hemp was also extensively grown by farmers in Massachusetts, Virginia, and the Connecticut colonies during the 1600s. These plants had very low levels of THC.
Just like people in the ancient world, Americans and Europeans of the late 19th century had access to cannabis. They could purchase cannabis extracts in clinics and pharmacies, mainly to treat insomnia, inflammation, stomach aches, migraine, and other medical conditions.
However, due to political and racial factors grounded on hearsay about the effects of marijuana on users, the gradual nationwide criminalization of marijuana began. This happened even amid objections from the American Medical Association for its known medical uses.
Marijuana was further demonized when it became listed as a Schedule I drug (classified with LSD, ecstasy, and heroin) in President Richard Nixon’s Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Anti-drug programs like Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) also identified marijuana as a “gateway drug.”
In spite of appeals for partial prohibition and lower penalties for small amounts of marijuana possession, it continued to be illegal for decades to come.
Finally, through the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, California became the first state to allow the medicinal use of marijuana among people with chronic or severe illnesses. Currently, medical marijuana is legal in 33 U.S. states. Its recreational use is already allowed in 11 states, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia.
Cannabis remains to be illegal under U.S. federal law; however, the debate continues as to how long it can be kept illegal in the U.S. and other parts of the world. However, personal possession and recreational use are already decriminalized in the following countries (subject to the allowed legal amounts specific to each territory):
• Canada
• Mexico
• Belize
• Jamaica
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Uruguay
• Cambodia
• Belgium
• The Netherlands
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Estonia
• Russia
• Ukraine
Meanwhile, marijuana growers and entrepreneurs have cropped up in U.S. states that have legalized marijuana use. The industry is poised to grow further as more edibles are introduced to a market that’s knowledgeable and receptive to the advantages of using marijuana.
So, if you have a craving for cannabis pizza, all you need to do is order.
Have a taste of Srampikal's Half-Baked Pizza today.
