A short history of cannabis
A brief history of cannabis
It would seem that the first traces of cannabis cultivation date back to around 12,000 years ago in China. Anyway, humans have been interacting with this plant for thousands of years, whether for agricultural, medical or recreational use.
We are going to see here some different historical points that have marked the history of human interaction with cannabis.
In 2700 BC
The first written traces of the use of cannabis for medical purposes date back to 2700 BC. This testimony was found in an old book of Chinese medicine. It is in this manual of Chinese medicine written by the man who is considered to be the founder of this branch of medicine that uses have been related to treat diseases such as gout or malaria.
In 1500 BC
Moreover, it also seems that a papyrus from Egypt mentions the use of cannabis to relieve inflammatory disorders.
In 1000 AD
Moreover, it would also seem that the first appearance of the word hashish in the Arab world is around the year 1000 of our era. It is highly likely that the use of this psychotropic is linked to the prohibition of alcohol in Islam, which has caused people in need of intoxication to evolve towards cannabis consumption.
We therefore note in these three paragraphs that the writings relating to the use of cannabis as a medical or recreational substance are particularly old and that it therefore seems that the use of cannabis in these terms is a long-standing habit for the different civilizations.
But this is not the only component of cannabis that has also been used to make various textile objects for millennia. It is in this context that cannabis is called industrial hemp and that it is used to manufacture many objects of daily life.
We are now going to see the story of the rise of this industrial use of cannabis.
Agricultural use of cannabis
It would seem that the agricultural use of cannabis initially originated in Central Asia before this use of industrial hemp was developed and brought to the rest of the world.
Industrial hemp for many years allowed mankind to make clothing and other fabrics as well as sails and ropes, especially useful for boats which were the primary means of long-distance travel at the time. But hemp also made it possible to manufacture paper, like the American dollars of the time which were made of it, moreover it was also a source of vegetable protein for the populations who consumed the seeds.
Industrial hemp in America
During the 16th century, the American continent discovered the use of industrial hemp brought by the Spaniards on their caravel. This plant which grows quickly and which makes it possible to make sails for boats as well as ropes was an ally of choice for the colonists who saw in this plant a means of supporting their conquest by providing both food but also all kinds of textiles necessary for this mission.
During the 17th century, farmers in the New World were even forced to cultivate hemp on their land in order to meet the growing demand for textiles and food required by the maintenance of the colonies on American territory.
The history of the American continent is thus strongly linked to the agricultural use of textile cannabis and testifies to the fact that the American constitution, the American dollars as well as the bibles of the time were all made of hemp.
Industrial hemp in France
France is really not left out regarding the industrial use of hemp since it seems that it has been used since the 2nd century when the Romans brought this plant to Gaul from Asian territories.
In the Middle Ages Charlemagne even encouraged its use in order to allow the manufacture of different textiles necessary at that time.
Since then, France has never really stopped using cannabis in the agricultural sector since it is still the leading European producer of industrial hemp and it was even the world's leading producer in the years preceding the First World War.