15 of the Most Interesting Facts About Marijuana 

With cannabis now recreationally legal in 15 states (plus D.C.) and medicinally legal in 33, many people who were previously uninterested in the drug have been perking their ears up.

Because marijuana was illegal and stigmatized for so long, there are a lot of crazy myths out there about the plant.

However, there are also a lot of interesting facts about marijuana that are true. Are you wondering what else there is to know about this ancient plant?

Let’s take a look at 15 marijuana fun facts that you can bring up at parties or use to win the next time you’re out playing trivia.

1. Shakespeare Might Have Smoked Weed

The first of our marijuana facts might not ever be able to be proven for sure.

For of the pipes that were found in Shakespeare’s back garden as an excavation site had a similar chemical signature to marijuana. However, no conclusive results came out of this. No one can prove that Shakespeare definitely spoke out of these pipes.

However, some historians argue that these pipes do present compelling evidence. Looking through historical and literary evidence, a South African anthropologist named Francis Thackeray is one proponent of this claim.

2. Males and Females Respond to Marijuana Differently

One 2014 study found that male and female rats responded to cannabis differently. They found that females were more sensitive to the painkilling qualities of cannabis, but were also more likely to develop a cannabis tolerance. This can contribute to dependence on marijuana as well as negative side effects.

It seems that be higher levels of estrogen in the female rats seem to play a role in these results.

3. There Are More Than 200 Slang Terms That Describe Cannabis

Perhaps it is no surprise that this much-loved plant has many names.

In fact, the term “marijuana” is technically a slang term that only began being used in the 1930s.

You have probably heard the terms “weed,” “pot,” and “grass” to describe cannabis. Maybe you’ve even heard “ganja,” “herb,” “tree,” or “chronic.” However, some of the terms for this drug are even more creative.

For example, during the Vietnam War, American GIs use the term “dinkie dow cigarette” to refer to the reefer. In Great Britain, you can get what you’re looking for by asking for a “gasper stick.” If you are for some reason looking for low-grade marijuana in Latin America, “caracas” is the word you’re looking for.

There are also a lot of interesting terms to describe the act of smoking weed. These include blazing, toking, mowing the grass, burning one down, and going loco.

4. The Oldest Evidence of Marijuana Use is 2500 Years Old

It’s hard to prove how long ago people started using cannabis. Not only that, but there are many different reasons to use the plant. Hemp itself is a very useful plant that might even be one of the earliest plants to be cultivated in all of human history. People were not only using cannabis for its mind-altering effects, though it is certainly possible that they have been doing so for a long time.

In fact, in 2019 it was reported that the oldest evidence of cannabis use was discovered in Western China. Found in a 2500-year-old cemetery, evidence of burning cannabis was found in wooden braziers.

5. THC Is the Primary Active Ingredient in Cannabis and It’s Responsible For the Mind-Altering Effects of the Plant

Ok, so maybe this isn’t a super fun fact about cannabis, but if you’re going to be partaking it’s good to know!

There are over one hundred cannabinoids, which are chemical compounds, that naturally occur in the cannabis plant. However, the primary active ingredient is known as THC and it is also the compound that is responsible for the mind-altering effects of marijuana.

It was all the way back in 1964 that THC was first discovered and isolated. Rafael Mechoulam was born in Bulgaria and discovered THC while working in Israel. It was found that THC absorbs into the bloodstream and travels to the brain when smoked.

If you have been a cannabis user for a long time or even if you are newly interested, you may have heard talk of delta-8-THC. Check out 3chi.com to learn more.

6. Uruguay Was the First Country to Fully Legalize the Use of Cannabis

If you are going to guess which country was the first country in the entire world to legalize weed, what would you say? Chances are, Uruguay would be the first country that would come to mind.

In fact, Uruguay has been a key player in creating innovative drug policies for a long time. They legalized possession for personal use in 1974. In 2013, they made history by being the first country in the entire world to pass legislation that legalized the entire supply chain of cannabis.

7. Hemp Might Have Been Involved in Moving Those Amazing Easter Island Statues

People have been trying to figure out how the Polynesian settlers of Easter Island moved around their gigantic statute for a long time. There are nearly 1000 statues across the island, with the largest being over 30 feet tall and weighing more than hundred and 60,000 pounds.

Some archaeologists propose that the statues were moved on top of logs in a horizontal position. However, others have found that there is evidence that the statues were transported upright.

The same researchers built a life-size model with the same physical properties of the Easter Island statues. A team of 18 people was able to move these statues more than 300 feet in 40 minutes.

How did they do it? Using three hemp ropes.

8. Bob Marley Was Buried With His Guitar, His Bible, and a Bud of Cannabis

Here’s another marijuana fun fact! You know that someone is serious about their love of cannabis when they ask to be sent into the afterlife with a bud by their side. In fact, Bob Marley was a Rastafarian, which meant that cannabis was seen as a sacrament to him.

It is believed that Bob Marley asked to buried with five specific items. Buried in Jamaica, he was set to rest with his guitar, a soccer ball, his ring that was a gift from Prince Asfa Wossen of Ethiopia, a Bible, and a bud of weed.

9. Marijuana Is the Most Common Illegal Drug in the US

Out of all of the psychotropic drugs that people could use, marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. When you put alcohol into the running, marijuana comes in second place.

10. You Could Technically Overdose on Marijuana, But It Would Take… How Much?

It is unclear what qualifies as a lethal dose of marijuana. However, it seems that there is some general consensus that in 15 minutes you would have to smoke 1500 pounds of cannabis in order for it to kill you. Unless you know something we don’t, this is most likely physically impossible to achieve.

11. Marijuana Is One of the Sacraments of the Rastafari Religion

Rastafari, which is also known as the Rastafari movement and Rastafarianism, is a Jamaican religion that developed in the 1930s. Considered to be both a social movement and a new religious movement, this is a movement that has no central authority that is in control.

The beliefs of this religion and movement are based on a specific biblical interpretation.

At the communal meeting of raw safari, there is usually chanting, music, discussion, and weed smoking. Cannabis is considered a sacrament that has beneficial properties within this religion and movement.

12. No One Knows How Long Humans Have Been Using Cannabis

The usage of cannabis by humans dates back in written history to at least the third millennium BC. By archaeological evidence, this might date back even further. This plant has been valued by humans for thousands of years for its use as rope and fiber, medicine and food, as well as for its psychoactive properties.

It is known that cannabis was cultivated in Japan for its fiber and as a food source since the pre-Neolithic period. It is possible that they were also using it as a psychoactive tool.

Hemp fiber imprints have been found in China that date back to the fifth millennium BC. Later, the Chinese youth camp to make shoes, clothes, rope, and an early form of paper.

Cannabis was also important in ancient Korea. As far back as 3000 BC, they were making fabric out of hemp.

The ancient Assyrians also knew about cannabis in might have used to as an aromatic. In fact, their word for the plant “qunabu” and “qunubu” might be where the modern word “cannabis” comes from.

It is also possible that cannabis was used for ritualistic psychoactive purposes in the Kingdom of Judah. This has been proposed because the residue of cannabis has been found on two altars in Tel Arad which date back to the 8th century BC.

We may never know just how far back the history of cannabis use goes. However, it is clear that humans have had a long and involved history with this particular plant.

13. George Washington Grew Hemp

Maybe you have heard the fact about marijuana that George Washington grew cannabis. To be clear, though, it’s important to understand that George Washington was cultivating hemp for industrial uses. He did so throughout his lifetime.

Many modern people don’t realize just how many uses hemp used to have in our world. Because the fibers of this plant had excellent properties for making sale canvas and rope as well as being spun into thread for clothing, it was a valued and useful crop.

In fact, Thomas Jefferson was also known to grow the plant. However, there is no evidence that either of them smokes the stuff, and since it was the industrial version of the plant, there isn’t any good reason to assume they were frequently taking smoke breaks.

14. Cannabis Originates From the Indian Subcontinent and Central Asia

You have probably heard of the two main types of cannabis: sativa and indica. There is technically another subspecies of cannabis known as Cannabis ruderalis, but scholars tend to fight about whether or not this is actually a separate species but rather a subspecies of cannabis sativa.

Cannabis Indica is the cannabis that is native to the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, it was cultivated for a form of hashish known as charas.

Cannabis Akiva, on the other hand, is native to eastern Asia. Cultivated throughout recorded history, it was used as a source of seed oil, food, industrial fiber, medicine, as well as religious, spiritual, and recreational moods.

15. Public Perception of Marijuana Has Radically Changed Since 1969

One of the interesting facts about cannabis has to do with how Americans think about the plant.

It truly is remarkable how much public perception has changed about cannabis in the last several decades. In 1969, only 12% of Americans said that cannabis should be legal. In 2019, 67% of Americans said that cannabis should be made legal.

This is a truly remarkable societal shift and not that long of a period of time.

Which of These Interesting Facts About Marijuana Is Your Favorite?

Cannabis is an absolutely fascinating plant that we still do not completely understand. It is truly amazing that humans have been using marijuana for so many years, making it basically an integral part of our history. While cannabis has been underground for a number of years because of legality issues, it seems that the tides are turning regarding both perception and legality of this plant.

Did you find this article full of interesting facts about marijuana interesting? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more fascinating and informative content!