After alcohol, marijuana is the most common type of psychoactive drug that is used across the United States. The increased legalization of its recreational and medicinal use throughout the country is piquing a lot of curiosity about it. This has led to the discovery of a lot of facts about marijuana that are little known.
Here is a sneak peak at a few of them:
1- Draft of the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper
According to some urban legends, the constitution of United States was written on hemp paper. Though there is always some sort of skepticism related to the authenticity of these tales, but this urban legend may have some truth in it.
It is a widely accepted fact that till 1883, the majority of paper in the world was made from cannabis hemp fiber. Due to its higher quality and longevity, it was used to make Bibles, maps, newspapers etc.
The first two ‘draft’ of the Declaration of Independence was written on Dutch hemp paper on June 28 1776. The timeline corresponds to the era when paper was not made from trees like its made today, confirming that the urban legend is indeed true.
2- Bob Marley and his love for marijuana
Bob Marley’s love for marijuana stemmed from his religion. He practiced Rastafarianism, where marijuana or ganja is considered a holy sacrament. The singer did not use marijuana recreationally, but only as a holy rite.
When cancer cut Bob Marley’s life short in 1981 at the age of 36, the singer was buried with his guitar, Bible and a bud of marijuana.
3- Mayflower infrastructure used a lot of hemp
Mayflower is well known in history for its voyage to the ‘New World’. The trip lasted for a grueling 10 week period at sea, carrying about 102 passengers and 30 crew members. The fact that is lesser known is that the ropes, sails and caulking used in the ship were all made using hemp fiber.
4- Historical U.S politicians have connections with hemp
A number of US politicians are known to have some sort of association with marijuana.
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison farmed hemp, and the information comes from reliable sources. These politicians were growing hemp at a period when its use was not prohibited. However, there are also examples of politicians like George W.Bush, Al Gore, Barack Obama who have used the drug despite of prohibition during their tenures.
5- A large population of the entire world uses marijuana
Statistics compiled by the United Nations shows that about 158.8 million people around the world use marijuana is some form. This makes up about 3.8% of the entire population of the world.
Within America, approximately 6000 Americans try the drug for first time each day.
6- Marijuana is not as harmful as other drugs
Critics of marijuana legalization always claim the side-effects associated with its use as the main ground for their argument. But several studies have concluded that it is less harmful than smoking and alcohol. The side-effects are much less when compared with other hard drugs like cocaine, heroine etc.
In fact, it was a recommended substitute for alcohol during the temperance movement of 1890. It was believed that alcohol abuse caused domestic violence but marijuana was safer.
7- Marijuana was in use way back in history
Marijuana was not used recreationally but as a medicinal herb in Asia in around 500 B.C. Because of its easy cultivation and fast growth, it was widely grown in colonial America.
Evidences of its recreational uses can be found in the Middle East starting from 800 AD.
Fun Fact about marijuana:
Spiders overblown by marijuana usually build messy webs. They are easy to distract and give up easily. Looks like these crawlers need be counselled over the ‘high’ side of drug use.