Cannabis today is a controversial topic, with the plant’s legality varying dependant on place and culture. The plant has had a somewhat tumultuous history so in honour of 4/20, a day well known and celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts across the globe, here is some wider context and history of the cannabis plant.
Cannabis and its purported healing and medicinal benefits has been used for hundreds of years in herbal remedies and recreationally. The first uses of cannabis are attributed to central Asia, western China, or even Egypt, although the exact location is still disputed.
The first documented case of its use dates back to 2800 BC, when it was listed in the Emperor Shen Nung’s pharmacopoeia (History of cannabis, 2022). Cannabis was also used medicinally by the well-known Chinese doctor Hua T’uo who reportedly made use of a hemp and wine recipe called “ma-yo” as an anaesthetic for surgical operations (Russo, 2013).
Cannabis continues to crop up throughout history as both a recreational drug and a key component in medicinal treatments. There is evidence of cannabis being used during 1213 BC to treat glaucoma, inflammation, and cooling the uterus, as well as administering enemas, this was uncovered when cannabis pollen was discovered on the mummy of Ramesses II (Manniche, 1989).
Throughout the renaissance period, cannabis appears more regularly in European history. English Clergyman and Oxford scholar Robert Burton suggests cannabis as a treatment for depression in his influential and still popular 1621 book The Anatomy of Melancholy (Grinspoon, 2005).
Cannabis was very popular until and throughout the 19th century until disappearing from the official Pharmacopoeia at the beginning of the 20th century and reviving again in the new millennium. Its modern history is peculiar since its return, its medical use has been deeply influenced and hampered by economic, social, and ethical issues. These issues are now being reconsidered owing to recently collected scientific evidence about the efficacy and safety of cannabinoid-based drugs (Pisanti, Bifulco, 2017).
In 2019, the revenue of the legal cannabis market in Europe overall was approximately 0.3 billion U.S. dollars. In the coming years, as more European countries legalize cannabis, the market revenue is expected to rise to almost 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2024 (Legal cannabis market in Europe 2020-2024 | Statista, 2022). These growing numbers indicate the increasing popularity of CBD and other cannabis products in the European market.
Despite its long history and the many controversies cannabis has caused, the plant is becoming increasingly popular again as society is shifting positively towards more natural remedies and as the many possible benefits of the plant and its extracts are rediscovered. Here at Always Pure Organics we look forward to seeing the social and economic growth that has been long over due for cannabis and we strive to continue to work in partnership with businesses within the industry to bring end consumer the highest quality CBD products.
Statista. 2022. Legal cannabis market in Europe 2020-2024 | Statista. [online] Available at: <https://www.statista.com/statistics/1096946/legal-cannabis-market-in-europe-forecast/> [Accessed 11 April 2022].
The University of Sydney. 2022. History of cannabis. [online] Available at: <https://www.sydney.edu.au/lambert/medicinal-cannabis/history-of cannabis.html#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20cannabis%
20originated,father%20of%20Chinese%20medicine)%20pharmacopoeia.> [Accessed 4 April 2022].
Russo, E., 2013. Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential. Routledge, p.37
Manniche. L, 1989 An Ancient Egyptian Herbal University of Texas Press
Grinspoon. L, MD, 2005 History of Cannabis as a Medicine, Statement for hearing by DEA Law Judge
Pisanti, S. and Bifulco, M., 2017. Modern History of Medical Cannabis: From Widespread Use to Prohibitionism and Back. [online] Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. Available at: <https://www.cell.com/trends/pharmacological-sciences/fulltext/S0165-6147(16)30184-5#relatedArticles> [Accessed 4 April 2022].
Cannabis today is a controversial topic, with the plant’s legality varying dependant on place and culture. The plant has had a somewhat tumultuous history so in honour of 4/20, a day well known and celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts across the globe, here is some wider context and history of the cannabis plant.
Cannabis and its purported healing and medicinal benefits has been used for hundreds of years in herbal remedies and recreationally. The first uses of cannabis are attributed to central Asia, western China, or even Egypt, although the exact location is still disputed.
The first documented case of its use dates back to 2800 BC, when it was listed in the Emperor Shen Nung’s pharmacopoeia (History of cannabis, 2022). Cannabis was also used medicinally by the well-known Chinese doctor Hua T’uo who reportedly made use of a hemp and wine recipe called “ma-yo” as an anaesthetic for surgical operations (Russo, 2013).
Cannabis continues to crop up throughout history as both a recreational drug and a key component in medicinal treatments. There is evidence of cannabis being used during 1213 BC to treat glaucoma, inflammation, and cooling the uterus, as well as administering enemas, this was uncovered when cannabis pollen was discovered on the mummy of Ramesses II (Manniche, 1989).
Throughout the renaissance period, cannabis appears more regularly in European history. English Clergyman and Oxford scholar Robert Burton suggests cannabis as a treatment for depression in his influential and still popular 1621 book The Anatomy of Melancholy (Grinspoon, 2005).
Cannabis was very popular until and throughout the 19th century until disappearing from the official Pharmacopoeia at the beginning of the 20th century and reviving again in the new millennium. Its modern history is peculiar since its return, its medical use has been deeply influenced and hampered by economic, social, and ethical issues. These issues are now being reconsidered owing to recently collected scientific evidence about the efficacy and safety of cannabinoid-based drugs (Pisanti, Bifulco, 2017).
In 2019, the revenue of the legal cannabis market in Europe overall was approximately 0.3 billion U.S. dollars. In the coming years, as more European countries legalize cannabis, the market revenue is expected to rise to almost 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2024 (Legal cannabis market in Europe 2020-2024 | Statista, 2022). These growing numbers indicate the increasing popularity of CBD and other cannabis products in the European market.
Despite its long history and the many controversies cannabis has caused, the plant is becoming increasingly popular again as society is shifting positively towards more natural remedies and as the many possible benefits of the plant and its extracts are rediscovered. Here at Always Pure Organics we look forward to seeing the social and economic growth that has been long over due for cannabis and we strive to continue to work in partnership with businesses within the industry to bring end consumer the highest quality CBD products.
Statista. 2022. Legal cannabis market in Europe 2020-2024 | Statista. [online] Available at: <https://www.statista.com/statistics/1096946/legal-cannabis-market-in-europe-forecast/> [Accessed 11 April 2022].
The University of Sydney. 2022. History of cannabis. [online] Available at: <https://www.sydney.edu.au/lambert/medicinal-cannabis/history-of cannabis.html#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20cannabis%
20originated,father%20of%20Chinese%20medicine)%20pharmacopoeia.> [Accessed 4 April 2022].
Russo, E., 2013. Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential. Routledge, p.37
Manniche. L, 1989 An Ancient Egyptian Herbal University of Texas Press
Grinspoon. L, MD, 2005 History of Cannabis as a Medicine, Statement for hearing by DEA Law Judge
Pisanti, S. and Bifulco, M., 2017. Modern History of Medical Cannabis: From Widespread Use to Prohibitionism and Back. [online] Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. Available at: <https://www.cell.com/trends/pharmacological-sciences/fulltext/S0165-6147(16)30184-5#relatedArticles> [Accessed 4 April 2022].
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