1. Hippies Did Not Discover Cannabis
The popular belief is that the hippie generation “discovered” pot. While the origins of cannabis remain a bit murky, we can assure you that the hippies did not discover weed.
The DEA says that the earliest recorded use of cannabis dates back to 2727 B.C when the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, used it for its medicinal purposes. But there’s a problem with this – there never was an emperor named Shen Nung, and the first emperor of a unified China was Qin Shi Huang, who was born around 260 B.C..
But the ancient Chinese do deserve some credit, as there is evidence that the ancient Chinese did in fact use cannabis. If you find this interesting, you can read more about Ancient Marijuana use.
2. Marijuana Makes Good Rope & Fabric
Surprisingly, the marijuana plant can be used for more than just smoking and human consumption. The fibers of the marijuana plant, or hemp make a great material for rope and fabric. And for thousands of years, it was actually used to make rope.
Perhaps the oddest use of hemp rope on record is as a method for transporting giant stone statues. For years archaeologists tried to figure out how people moved the giant 9,600 pound statue on the Easter Islands from the stone quarry. Some suggested log rollers and other theorists suggested extraterrestrial assistance. But in 2012, they proved that the team of transporters used hemp rope.
3. Hemp and Marijuana are Different
Industrial hemp plants are the same species as marijuana plants. However, a single genetic switch results in a the production of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), the precursor to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which gets you high. Hemp plants lack the gene that produce THCA.
However, both hemp and marijuana plants do contain cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), the precursor to CBD – which is non-psychoactive. CBD does however have some medicinal qualities.
4. Men & Women Experience Different Effects of Marijuana
Consuming marijuana could very well provide a very different experience for women than men. A 2014 study from the journal, Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that female rats were more sensitive to the painkilling qualities of cannabis. They were also more likely to develop a tolerance for the drug, which could contribute to negative side effects and dependence on marijuana.
The female hormone, estrogen seems to be the reason behind these sex-specific effects, because the females were more sensitive to the effects of cannabis at ovulation, when estrogen levels are highest.
5. Our Pets Can Use Marijuana Too
While we use medical marijuana for everything from glaucoma to PTSD, not many have considered marijuana for dogs in the past. But similarly to humans, dogs find comfort in CBD. It can help relieve anxiety during thunderstorms, or it can relieve the side effects of cancer treatments.
Although vets are not yet prescribing marijuana to dogs, many understand why their owners use marijuana for their dogs, and do not prohibit them from doing so. Here is more about Dogs & Cannabis.
6. Bizarre Strain Names – They’re Tradition
A wine lover might choose between a pinot noir, a sangiovese and a cabernet to go with dinner. A pot connoisseur, on the other hand, could choose between strains with names like “purple haze,” ” Redwood Kush” and “green crack.”
Believe it or not, unusual, goofy names are a time-honored tradition among marijuana growers, going back at least to the 1970s, when strains such as “Maui Waui” (from Hawaii, naturally) came into the scene. Why such goofy names? Well, one reason might be the process behind the naming decisions. Often times it takes quite awhile to develop a strain – you’d think you’d have enough time to come up with a name.
But usually the growers are so caught up in developing and growing the marijuana strain that when it’s all done, they have no idea what to call it – so they have a brainstorming session. They smoke a bowl with their friends and come up with a “creative” name.
And now, it has just become tradition.
7. Cannabis Is in the Air
You might expect to find a haze of pot smoke at a Wiz Khalifa concert at Red Rocks, or a marijuana yoga session, but on the streets of Rome?
According to a 2012 study in Rome, there are trace amounts of marijuana in the air. But it wasn’t just Rome – it was seven other cities. But if you’re not a smoker, or have kids, don’t worry, you can still take your Italian vacation; the levels of marijuana and other substances were far too low to affect human health.
8. Producing Marijuana Isn’t All That “Green”
Marijuana plants may be green in color, but producing marijuana is far from sustainable. The energy needed to produce 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of marijuana indoors is equivalent to that needed to drive across the country five times in a car that gets 44 miles to the gallon, according to a 2011 report by a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Why? Grow lights require A LOT of electricity.
Because of the year-round demand of marijuana, growers must grow their marijuana in greenhouses, rather than outside. Growing outside would also require more pesticides and things like rat poison to keep the animals away.
9. Marijuana Has Been Found in Babies – Sort of
A hospital in North Carolina noticed a rather large number of newborns testing positive for marijuana in their urine – this causes concern as it can indicate that they mother has been smoking pot.
But it turns out that these babies were not actually suffering from marijuana exposure and their mothers were not smoking marijuana during pregnancy. What they found instead is that several ingredients in baby soaps can cause a false positive on urine tests for marijuana. The soaps don’t actually contain marijuana or get the babies high.
10. Beer & Cannabis Are Related – Sort of
The hops used to make beer are in the same family of flowering plants as marijuana – resulting in several similarities.
The Humulus lupulus (hops) and Cannabis sativa (marijuana) have similar organoleptic properties, meaning they produce a similar taste and smell.
Further, the major bitter compound in hops, the so-called alpha acids, aka humulone, is a terpenoid (derived from terpenes). The primary active ingredient in that dank you’re smoking, the tetrahydrocannabinoids, are also terpenoids. Many other plants produce terpenoid compounds that produce distinct smells and tastes, but none of them resemble that of cannabis and hops.
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