Cannabis, otherwise known as Marijuana was thought to have originated in the Himalayas and The first Archaeological remains found there date back to 400 AD. The first recorded use of Cannabis was in 2700 BC when it was used medicinally in China. Hemp was originally cultivated and valued for the Strength and versatality of
its Fibers and by 100 BC the Chinese were making paper from Hemp. In 1563 under Queen Elizabeth's rule, if you owned over 60 acres of land you were fined 5 pounds a day if you didn't set aside at least 5 acres for the cultivation of Marijuana. Hemp ropes and sails made their way to North America in 1621 and began being grown in Virginia by the British, in fact, it was mandatory that it was grown in Virginia. The Declaration of Independence was written on Hemp paper and later George Washington and Thomas Jefferson was convinced that Cannabis was the Cash Crop of the day and encouraged the growth of Cannabis instead of Tobacco, by 1850 Marijuana was the 3rd largest Agricultural Crop in North America. In 1856 the Encyclopedia Britannica described Cannabis as producing "inebriation and delerium of a decidedly hilarious character, inducing violent laughter jumping and dancing"
Thus began the controversy...in 1915 Utah was the first state to criminalize Marijuana, other states followed suit in 1923 and by 1937 the Federal Government passed the Marijuana Tax Act prohibiting the Cultivation of Marijuana. To date Marijuana is still highly misunderstood. Believed to be a "Gateway" narcotic, leading the way to more addictive and damaging drugs, research has put these theories to rest. Marijuana is also used to relieve the effects of several different illnesses such as AIDS, MS, Gloucoma and relieves the side effects of Chemotherapy in Cancer sufferers such as nausea and loss of appetite. There are several Groups, such as NORML, that are paving the way to have Marijuana legalized and for Cannabis to be enjoyed just as an after work drink is enjoyed with no legal repercussions.
