Cannabis use traced back to prehistoric times; Marijuana became known to Asia and Europe at the same time

Scientists have discovered when humans first started dealing in cannabis and many are calling it the Stoned Age. New study has revealed people have been using marijuana for thousands of years and experts believe cannabis was sent along the Bronze Road to Asia. This route later became known as Silk Road.

Early humans in Asia and Europe first came across the marijuana plant nearly 10,000 years ago when it was used for clothing and food. As Europe’s glaciers began their retreat, tribes in both Asia and Europe started using the plant. It is also believed that people in both continents came across cannabis at the same time.

However, cannabis was not used to get high during that time. Experts are of the opinion that tribes started picking the plant for its hemp fibres and nutritional seeds for fashioning into clothes. This changed though and humans soon became aware of the plant’s psychoactive properties.

Humans started enjoying the high long before they started consuming alcohol. Cannabis pre-dates booze by around 3,000 years. German Archaeological Institute researcher Tengwen Long told The Sunday Times that marijuana started being widely distributed nearly 10,000 years ago. But it took people thousands of years to understand that they can make money out of it.

It was around 5,000 years ago that Bronze Age herders began using animals to trade cannabis with other tribes.

“It is generally thought that mind-altering substances, or at least drugs, are a modern-day issue, but if we look at the archaeological record, there are many data supporting their consumption in prehistoric times. As soon as drug plants and fermented drinks were first consumed, there is uninterrupted evidence for such use over centuries, and occasionally, the relationship that began in prehistoric times has continued into the present day,” associate professor of prehistory at the University of Valladolid in Spain, Dr. Elisa Guerra-Doce, told The Huffington Post.

Long said more data from Central Asia and south Russia is required to understand the complex history of human marijuana consumption. Many of the issues surrounding cannabis use still remain unsolved.