The Leaf THE LEAF November-December 2019 | Page 28

From China, coastal farmers brought pot to
Korea about 2000 B.C. or earlier, according
to the book "The Archaeology of Korea"
(Cambridge University Press, 1993).
Cannabis came to the South Asian
subcontinent between 2000 B.C. and 1000
B.C., when the region was invaded by the
Aryans — a group that spoke an archaic Indo-
European language.
The drug became widely used in India, where
it was celebrated as one of "five kingdoms of
herbs ... which release us from anxiety" in one
of the ancient Sanskrit Vedic poems whose
name translate into "Science of Charms."
From Asia to Europe
Cannabis came to the Middle East between
2000 B.C. and 1400 B.C., and it was probably
used there by the Scythians, a nomadic Indo-
European group.
The Scythians also likely carried the drug into
southeast Russia and Ukraine, as they
occupied both territories for years, according
to Warf's report.
Germanic tribes brought the drug into
Germany, and marijuana went from there to
Britain during the 5th century with the Anglo-
Saxon invasions. [See map of marijuana's
spread throughout the world.]
"Cannabis seeds have also been found in the
remains of Viking ships dating to the mid-
ninth century," Warf wrote in the study.
Over the next centuries, cannabis migrated to
various regions of the world, traveling
through Africa, reaching South America in
the 19th century and being carried north
afterwards, eventually reaching North
America.
How did marijuana get to the United States?
After this really long "trip" throughout the
pre-modern and modern worlds, cannabis
finally came to the United States at the
beginning of the 20th century.
It arrived in the southwest United States from
Mexico, with immigrants fleeing that country
during the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1911.
"Many early prejudices against marijuana
were thinly veiled racist fears of its smokers,
often
promulgated
by
reactionary
newspapers," Warf wrote in his report.
"Mexicans were frequently blamed for
smoking marijuana, property crimes,
seducing children and engaging in murderous
sprees."
Americans laws never recognised the
difference between Cannabis sativa L. and