Cannabis is known wold-wide and toda I want to discover here the journey began for our beloved Mary-Jane. How did such an amazing medicinal herb find it’s way around the world? Author Barney Warf reported that Cannabis originated thousands of years ago in Asia. History can trace cannabis back 12,000 years in Siberia where burned seeds were found in Kugan burial mounds dating back to around 3000  B.C. Tombs of noble people of the Xinji region of China and Siberia contained large quantities of mummified marijuana. Some of the earliest archeological hemp evidence comes from rope imprints on broken Chinese pottery. Fragments of hemp cloth have also been found in Chinese burial chambers dating from the Chou Dynasty. Hemp seeds were first used as a gentle laxative by the Chinese, and upon further investigation they discovered marijuana’s many acrid and balanced properties. The Chinese used marijuana around 4000 BC as an anesthetic and eventually made its way to Korea.  Written documents also refer to hemp as a source of clothing. It is believed to have evolved on the steppes of Central Asia, specifically in the regions on Mongolia and southern Siberia. Nomadic invaders came across the powerful herb and helped spread the seed throughout the lands. Cannabis was also very dominant in the middle east and was carried into the south east regions of Russia and Ukraine. Cannabis seeds were even found on Viking ships  dating back to the mid-ninth century. On a secluded Iron Age farm in Southern Norway, archaeological findings show that it was common to cultivate cannabis in the Viking Age. Analyses show that in the period between the years 650 and 800 AD, i.e. the beginning of the Viking Age. Wikipedia says “The use of Cannabis as a mind-altering drug has been documented by archaeological finds in prehistoric societies in Eurasia and Africa. The oldest written record of cannabis usage is the Greek historian Herodotus’s reference to the central Eurasian Scythians taking cannabis steam baths.” Heordotus’s Histories records, “The Scythians, as I said, take some of this hemp-seed [presumably, flowers], and, creeping under the felt coverings, throw it upon the red-hot stones; immediately it smokes, and gives out such a vapour as no Grecian vapour-bath can exceed; the Scyths, delighted, shout for joy.” This means that Greeks and Romans were using cannabis, while use in the Middle East spread throughout the Islamic empire to North Africa. By the mid 1540’s, cannabis spread to the western hemisphere where Spaniards imported hemp to Chile for its use as fiber. By the 1800’s, marijuana plantations flourished in Mississippi, Georgia, California, South Carolina, Nebraska, New York, and Kentucky. Also during this period, smoking hashish was popular throughout France and to a lesser degree in the US. Hashish production expands from Russian Turkestan into Yarkand in Chinese Turkestan. In most countries, cannabis, in the form of hemp, was grown for use in rope, clothing and paper. By the 19^th century, North America learned to cultivate the multi-purpose medicinal herb and learn about it medicinal and psychedelic properties.

The Significance of Ganja in Jamaica

After Jamaica’s native Taíno people were conquered, by Christopher Columbus in 1494, it was colonized around 1655. By this time, a majority of the Taíno population had succumb to disease, famine, or forced labor. The British shipped slaves from West Africa to toil the land and harvest the coveted sugar plantations. The spread of marijuana in Jamaica has began when slaves were shipped to and from all parts of the earth. Plantation owners brought servants over from East India and along with them came their sacred seed. These seeds and seedlings thrived on the island’s hospitable tropical climate. ‘Gāṁjā , the Hindu word for cannabis, became a staple in the lives of many people on this beautiful island. Rastafarianism arose in the 1930s and ganja was adopted by the devotees as a spiritual sacrament. The Rastafarian movement was influenced by the beliefs of Leonard Howell and Marcus Garvey. Leonard promoted hatred for the Europeans and the superiority of African people. He also encouraged people to return to their motherland in Africa. His beliefs were abandoned by many, but he had an influential part of the formation of Rastafarianism. Howell was the first to promote pro-African movements in the twentieth century. Marcus Garvey taught that Africans were a lost tribe of the Israelite’s and that the Messiah would be born again on earth as a king in Africa. Garvey was seen as a reincarnation of John the Baptist after his prophecy was came true. The coronation of Haile Selassie I as Emperor of Ethiopia was taken as a sign of Garvey’s prophetic abilities. The Emperor had previously gone by the name Ras Tafari Mekonnen, prior to his coronation. This is where the name Rastafarian was derived. Despite being considered the “Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah”, Selassie denied being “divine”. The dreadlocks adorned by the Rasta represents the African roots of Rastafarianism and the main of the Lion of Judah. The association of ganja and the  Rastafarian movement became famous by Bob Marley and the Wailers, who advocated the benefits and use of cannabis. Many believe marijuana is important for their understanding of self, the universe and Jah (God / Creator). Many rituals involve the use of ganja as a tool for “reasoning sessions” where they interact and discuss life according to the Rasta perspective. The Rasta rejects materialism, oppression and sensual pleasures referred to as “Babylon”. They are humble people who live a simpler way of life. There are several dietaary restrictions and a way of life beyone the use of cannabis.  The flag had originally been red, black and green; the red represented the blood of black people, the black represented the color of the skin and green represented vegetation of Jamaica, and Jah’s earth. Later years, the flag was modified and replaced with the old Ethiopian Flag. This flag contains the symbol of the Lion of Judah with red, yellow and green in the backdrop. The yellow represents the gold, minerals and resources. As mentioned before, the red still represents the blood of their people and green once again represents the land.

What is the Future for Mary Jane?

Wikipedia has useul and comprehensive maps of which countries have legal cannabis. According to the information available on Wikipedia: “As of 2017, some of the countries with the laxest cannabis laws were Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, India, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay, and some U.S. jurisdictions.” Many of the countries mentioned in the 2017 aricticle above have since legalized the use or decriminalized the possession and use of cannabis.  Each country must decide for themsleves and impliment the laws and regulations regarding the consmption and distrobution of marijuana products. It is only  a metter of time until cannabis is legal in every country because it has a whole lot to offer other than a high. It’s no surprise that Mary Jane has made it around the world and found acceptance among a vast popluation, but what does the future really hold? When we look back to the origins of cannanbis use, we find that the plant was used primarily for it’s hemp. Hemp is a natural fiber product of the Cannabis sativa plant which have been specifically bred to yield long fibers. Cultivation of hemp for industrial purposes has been undertaken for thousands of years, and hemp was used to manufacture rope, canvas, paper, and clothing until alternative textiles for these purposes were discovered. Traditionally, hemp has been a very coarse fiber, which made it well suited to rope but less than ideal for clothing designed to be worn against delicate human skin. Advances in breeding of the plants and treatment of the fibers have resulted in a much finer, softer fiber, which is ideal for weaving into clothing. While hemp clothing in the late 20th century came to be associated with fringe movements, it was once widely utilized as a textile: the word canvas, for example, is related to Cannabis, one of the original components of canvas. I am no prophet; however, I have found enough information to support the idea of a world wide industry in the hemp manufacturing department. Hemp is a powerhouse of sustainable solutions and already has a track record of success globally. The Hemp Business Journal estimated United States (US) sales of hemp products in 2015 to be 25% greater than their 2014 total of $400 million (the Hemp Industry Association [HIA] estimated US hemp product sales in 2014 at $620 million). Thirty-six countries throughout Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and North America already permit hemp production. Hemp can also be made into any building material including fiberboard, roofing, flooring, wallboard, caulking, cement, paint, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete, insulation, insulation panels, spray-on insulation, concrete pipes, bricks, and biodegradable plastic composites which are tougher than steel. There have been several fascinating homes built primarily out of hemp throughout the world. Canabis has not only become a popular interest in our medical journals, recretional practices, and infrustructure. Cannabis is becoming a hot commoditity and some say we should buy into cannabis stocks. “2019 is predicted to be the best year for Marijuana Stocks. Most financial experts are predicting that marijuana stocks and the cannabis sector will continue to reach new highs” says Marijuana Stocks.com In review, marijuana began it’s journey in China, where it grew wild in it’s native soils. As people went out to discover the world and conquer nations, they unknowingly spread a seed of peace, love and prosperity. Upon decades of research and agricultural advancements, we have successfully harness a variety of uses and pplication for the entire cannabis plant and it’s strains. It is successfully being decriminalized in several states across the country, and it is on the forefront for lawmakers in numerous other states. As this new medicinal business continues to grow and becomes more public across the United States, the stronger this investment market will become. This tremendous growth has continued to draw greater public awareness on how big the medicinal marijuana business is and how fast it continues to grow as a major investment for investors daily. Medicinal business investments have recently become larger than wheat and corn combined. In the world agricultural business and investments, it would easily be the highest valued cash crop in the country. This new state of the art agribusiness (medicinal marijuana) has created numerous investment categories for investors. These categories consist of equipment, software, consulting, sales, consumption products, stocks, entertainment, growing nutrients, growing tourism, producers, and media. Having numerous investment categories, allows for investors to not always have to be experts in marijuana or in business investments. As medicinal marijuana continues to become one of the largest investments of the future, you need to understand it has also become one of the leading political gateways to the future for uprising politicians. These politicians will continue to be influenced more and more by over 70 percent of the US population who believe that marijuana should be legal for medicinal purposes. There is no doubt in my mind that we will learn more about how we can be more sustainable with the use of hemp products and reach unimaginable advancements in medicinal marijuana products.  The fight is definitely not over for Mary Jane, but the exponential legalizations in each country makes for a good fight. Information is accumulating and researcers are now able to debunk the Reefer Madness propganda wich still has had a lasting affect of those who were subjected to the fearmongering. The techonlogy we have today is profound, and we are advancing every day. As we develop new products to help medicinal marijuana users, we create an opportunity for those who cannot smoke th herb, or may be sensitive to the THC content in flower and concentrates. With the door open to people and pets for the use of CBD, we have been able to make life more enjoyable. There are bound to be many more new and improved uses fr consumption, cnctruction and everything in between. Knoweledge is a key to understanding; the more we know, the more we will understand.