The History of Cannabis: From Ancient Plant to Modern Dispensary
Cannabis has been used by humans for at least 12,000 years. It's one of the oldest cultivated crops on earth, older than wheat in some regions, and it's been woven into medicine, religion, textile production, and daily life across nearly every civilization that encountered it. The plant you buy at a modern dispensary is the descendant of an extraordinary global history — and the last century of that history, especially in the United States, is where everything got complicated. This guide walks through the full timeline: ancient origins, global spread, prohibition, and the modern wave of legalization.
Ancient Origins (10,000 BCE – 500 BCE)
The cannabis plant is believed to have originated on the Central Asian steppe, somewhere in what is now Mongolia, Kazakhstan, or western China. Archaeological evidence of cannabis use goes back at least 12,000 years, making it one of the earliest plants humans domesticated.
In 2019, researchers found residue of burned cannabis in 2,500-year-old wooden braziers at the Jirzankal Cemetery in western China, providing some of the earliest direct evidence of cannabis being used for its psychoactive effects (Ren et al., 2019, Science Advances). Chemical analysis showed THC levels higher than in wild cannabis, suggesting early selective cultivation.
Ancient China used cannabis extensively. The legendary emperor Shen Nung — said to have lived around 2700 BCE — is credited in traditional texts with listing cannabis as a medicine for rheumatism, malaria, gout, and absent-mindedness. Chinese farmers grew hemp for rope, textiles, and food thousands of years before it was used recreationally. The earliest known pharmacopoeia, the Pen Ts'ao Ching, describes cannabis as a medicinal plant.
Cannabis Spreads Across the Ancient World
From Central Asia, cannabis spread along trade routes in every direction:
India — cannabis became deeply embedded in Hindu religious practice, associated with the god Shiva and consumed in preparations like bhang. The Atharva Veda, written around 1500–1000 BCE, calls cannabis one of the "five sacred plants."
The Middle East — hashish became widespread across the Arab world. The word "hashish" itself is Arabic, and the earliest known hashish production dates to at least the 10th century CE.
Ancient Greece and Rome — both cultures knew cannabis. Herodotus described the Scythians throwing cannabis on heated stones in steam baths in the 5th century BCE. Roman doctors used cannabis for ear pain and as an anti-inflammatory.
Africa — cannabis spread from the Arab world into Africa through trade, becoming part of traditional use in many regions.
Europe — primarily used as hemp for rope, sails, and textiles until relatively recently. Medicinal use was documented but recreational use was rare in Northern Europe historically.
Cannabis in Early America (1600s – 1800s)
Cannabis arrived in colonial America primarily as industrial hemp. Jamestown colonists were required by law to grow hemp for the British Empire starting in 1619 — it was essential for ship rigging and sails. Founding fathers including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson cultivated hemp on their estates, though there's no reliable evidence they used it recreationally.
In the 19th century, cannabis entered Western medicine through British physicians stationed in India, most notably Dr. William O'Shaughnessy, who brought cannabis tinctures back to Britain in 1842 after observing their use in Indian medicine. Cannabis tinctures became widely available in American and European pharmacies, prescribed for pain, insomnia, childbirth, and a range of other conditions. Queen Victoria reportedly used cannabis tinctures for menstrual cramps.
The Beginning of Prohibition (1900 – 1937)
Cannabis prohibition in the United States happened rapidly, and for reasons that had little to do with the plant's actual effects. Several forces converged in the early 20th century:
The Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution of 1910 brought significant Mexican immigration to the American Southwest, and with it, the recreational smoking of cannabis — called "marijuana" in Spanish slang. The word itself was new to English speakers, and it was strategically used by anti-cannabis campaigners to distance the drug from the familiar medical term "cannabis."
Harry Anslinger and the FBN
Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (founded in 1930), led a national campaign against cannabis. His rhetoric combined racial stereotypes, sensational claims of violence and insanity, and exaggerated medical threats. The campaign was successful despite widespread disagreement from the medical community.
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
This federal law effectively criminalized cannabis at the federal level through a tax scheme that made legal possession nearly impossible. The American Medical Association opposed the act, arguing that cannabis had legitimate medical uses and that the law would cut off access to a useful medicine. The opposition was ignored.
The Mid-Century and the Counterculture (1940s – 1970s)
Cannabis use went underground but never disappeared. It remained popular in jazz culture in the 1930s and 1940s, then gained broader visibility during the 1950s Beat Generation and exploded in use during the 1960s counterculture.
In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act placed cannabis in Schedule I — the most restricted category, reserved for drugs considered to have "no currently accepted medical use" and a high potential for abuse. This classification, which still stands federally today, has been criticized for decades by medical researchers and has made formal scientific study of cannabis unusually difficult.
The Nixon administration launched the modern War on Drugs in 1971, dramatically escalating enforcement of drug laws including cannabis. A 1972 commission appointed by Nixon — the Shafer Commission — ultimately recommended that cannabis be decriminalized, but Nixon rejected the recommendation.
The Long Road to Legalization (1996 – Present)
Modern legalization began with medical cannabis. California voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996, becoming the first U.S. state to legalize medical cannabis use. Other states followed throughout the 2000s.
Recreational legalization started in 2012 when Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize adult-use cannabis by ballot initiative. Since then, a steadily growing number of states have legalized or decriminalized cannabis:
2012: Colorado and Washington legalize recreational cannabis
2014: Alaska, Oregon, and D.C. follow
2016: California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada legalize
2018: Michigan becomes the first Midwest state to legalize recreational cannabis
2020: Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota pass recreational measures
2022: Maryland voters approve recreational legalization
2023: Ohio voters approve recreational legalization
As of today, a majority of U.S. states have some form of legal cannabis — either medical-only, decriminalized, or fully recreational. Federal cannabis remains illegal, though federal enforcement in legal states has been largely deprioritized.
Ohio and Maryland: Local Context
Ohio's medical cannabis program launched in 2019, and voters approved recreational cannabis in November 2023 through Issue 2, making Ohio the 24th state to legalize adult use. Maryland's medical program began in 2017, and voters approved recreational legalization in 2022, with adult-use sales beginning in 2023. Both states have rapidly developed regulated cannabis markets. For more on what's currently available, visit Bloom Ohio or Bloom Maryland.
Modern Cannabis Science
Scientific understanding of cannabis has exploded in the last 30 years. The endocannabinoid system wasn't identified until the early 1990s, and researchers are still mapping out how cannabinoids interact with human biology. Products that would have seemed impossible 30 years ago — lab-tested, precisely-dosed edibles and tinctures, strain-specific lab reports, cannabis concentrates with 90%+ purity — are now standard in legal dispensaries.
Why the History Matters
Cannabis prohibition lasted nearly a century in the United States, and its effects are still unwinding. Millions of people were arrested and incarcerated for nonviolent cannabis offenses — disproportionately people of color — and the War on Drugs reshaped American criminal justice and foreign policy in ways we're still reckoning with. Understanding that history is part of understanding the industry today: why regulation looks the way it does, why research was stalled for decades, and why legalization has been such a slow and uneven process.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is cannabis use?
At least 12,000 years. Archaeological evidence of cannabis cultivation and use dates back to the earliest agricultural societies.
Who first discovered cannabis?
No one individual — cannabis was used by multiple ancient cultures across Central Asia, likely independently. Early Chinese texts attributing its discovery to Emperor Shen Nung are legendary rather than historical.
Why is cannabis called marijuana?
"Marijuana" is a Mexican Spanish word that entered American English through Mexican immigrants in the early 1900s. It was strategically promoted by prohibitionists to make cannabis sound foreign and unfamiliar compared to the existing medical term "cannabis."
When did cannabis become illegal in the U.S.?
Federal prohibition effectively began in 1937 with the Marihuana Tax Act and was reinforced in 1970 with the Controlled Substances Act, which placed cannabis in Schedule I where it remains federally today.
Why was cannabis made illegal?
The reasons were a mix of racial politics, economic interests, and moral campaigning, more than scientific evidence of harm. The medical community largely opposed prohibition at the time. Many historians consider the prohibition of cannabis one of the most consequential drug policy mistakes of the 20th century.
Is cannabis legal federally in the U.S.?
No. Cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level, though many states have legalized it in contradiction to federal law. Federal enforcement in legal states has been largely deprioritized but remains technically possible.
The Bottom Line
Cannabis is an ancient plant with a modern controversy. Humans have been using it for food, fiber, medicine, and ritual for at least 12,000 years — and its recent prohibition in the United States was a brief and unusual chapter in that history, not the norm. Today's dispensary cannabis is the product of both that long cultural heritage and the last 30 years of scientific research finally catching up. Knowing where the plant came from, how it spread, and why it was banned helps make sense of where the industry is now — and where it's going next.