Marihuana The First Twelve Thousand Years
Of all the plants men have ever grown, none has been praised and denounced as often as marihuana (Cannabis sativa). Throughout the ages, marihuana has been extolled as one of man's greatest benefactors and cursed as one of his greatest scourges. Marihuan
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MARIHUANA The First Twelve Thousand Years Ernest L. Abel
SPRINGER SCIENCE+B USINESS MEDIA, LLC
Librazy of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Abel, Ernest L
1943-
Marihuana, the iust twelve thousand years. Bibliography: p. lncludes index. 1. Marihuana-History. 2. Marihuana. 1. Ti tie. [DNLM: 1. Cannabis. 2. Drug abuse-History. QV77.7 A139m) 615'.7827 BF209.C3A23
ISBN 978-1-4899-2191-8 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-2189-5
SQ-15606
ISBN 978-1-4899-2189-5 (eBook)
This limited facsimile edition has been issued for the purpose of keeping this title available to the scientific community.
10 9 8 7 6
© 1980 Springer Science+Business Media New York Originally published by Plenum Press, New York in 1980 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1980 AII rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microillming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
To the Buckley clan: BoB, GLAD, BARB, JoYcE, MAUREEN, VIC, PHIL,
SUE, }ASON, and BECKY
Contents Introduction
ix
I
THE EARLY YEARS
1
Cannabis in the Ancient World
2
Hashish and the Arabs II
3
36
THE HEMP ERA
3
Rope and Riches
4
Cannabis Comes to the New World ill
61 76
THE MARIHUANA AND HASHISH ERA
5
New Uses for the Old Hemp Plant 105
6
The Indian Hemp Drug Debate 122
7
The African Dagga Cultures 136
8
The Hashish Club 148
9
Hashish in America N
In
A NATION OF DRUG TAKERS
10
America's Drug Users 189
11
Reefer Racism 200 vii
viii
CONTENTS
12
The Jazz Era 214
13
Outlawing Marihuana
Epilogue 248 Bibliography Index 283
273
237
Introduction Of all the plants men have ever grown, none has been praised and denounced as often as marihuana (Cannabis sativa). Throughout the ages, marihuana has been extolled as one of man's greatest benefactorsand cursed as one of his greatest scourges. Marihuana is undoubtedly a herb that has been many things to many people. Armies and navies have used it to make war, men and women to make love. Hunters and fishermen have snared the most ferocious creatures, from the tiger to the shark, in its herculean weave. Fashion designers have dressed the most elegant women in its supple knit. Hangmen have snapped the necks of thieves and murderers with its fiber. Obstetricians have eased the pain of childbirth with its leaves. Farmers have crushed its seeds and used the oil within to light their lamps. Mourners have thrown its seeds into blazing fires and have had their sorrow transformed into blissful ecstasy by the fumes that filled the air. Marihuana has been known by many names: hemp, hashish, dagga, bhang, loco weed, grass-the list is endless. Formally christened Cannabis sativa in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, marihuana is one of nature's hardiest specimens. It needs little care to thrive. One need not talk to it, sing to it, or play soothing tranquil Brahms lullabies to coax it to grow. It is as vigorous as a weed. It is ubiquitous. It fluorishes unde
