Sometimes all it can take to brighten up the day is learning something new and trippy… That’s all this is about. In the hope that it brings some joy to your day, here are some random and interesting cannabis facts. There is also a weed wordsearch at the end.
The Bard & Bud
Shakespeare used to smoke weed. Scientists dug up his garden and found 400-year-old pipes. Out of the twenty-four found, eight had traces of cannabis.
Shakespeare’s collection of clay pipes.
Hemp Staple Crop
In the 1700s, Hemp was considered a staple crop. American farmers we’re legally required to grow it. At the time, hemp was used for making everything from textiles and paper to the equipment on a ship. Naturally strong and resilient, hemp was ideal for naval use because it could hold up well against saltwater exposure.
US Founding Fathers Smoking Hemp
Some of the US Founding Fathers were known for growing hemp. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison used to grow hemp on their farms. Thomas Jefferson was known for smoking ‘hemp’ on his back veranda. George Washington used to grow cannabis and used it to help with the pain in his dentures. He would personally tend to his crops and separate the male from female plants.
US President George Washington.
Important Paperwork
The very first book ever printed by the printing press was the Gutenberg Bible in 1456. It was printed on hemp paper. The first and second drafts of The US Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. After that, parchment was used.
Cars and Planes
In 1942, Henry Ford created a car body from hemp fiber. It was said to be ten times stronger than steel, despite being far lighter. Today, Hempearth Group has upped the ante by creating the first hemp aircraft. Large enough to seat four people, its wingspan stretches thirty-six feet. The plane is composed of hemp fiber and fueled by hemp biodiesel. Because it’s much lighter than most planes its size, the hemp plane doesn’t require as much fuel as other traditional aircraft.
Built-in Stink Protection
For a number of reasons, refined hemp fabric is ideal for making underwear. For starters, cannabis leaves are softer and more durable than cotton. Plus, hemp fabric is far more breathable than a lot of other materials. Research has shown that breathable underwear can help prevent yeast infections. But the number one reason that hemp makes great underwear is that it is a natural odor repellent. Hemp is known to have antibacterial properties and these cause odors.
North Korea
In North Korea, there are no laws that regulate or prohibit cannabis in any way. It can be purchased from markets across the country, grown at home, or harvested from the wild. There has been some debate about the hazy legal status because it’s hard to imagine the government looking the other way. Not to mention, there are few that have blazed in North Korea and come back to tell the tale. In 2010, Open Radio for North Korea announced a crackdown on methamphetamine but didn’t say anything about cannabis. At the end of the day, clear information on the laws in North Korea is not easy to come by. As far as the world has seen, there are no regulations for cannabis use.
Henry VIII
In 1533, King Henry VIII created a law that made hemp cultivation mandatory. Back then, hemp was used to make rope, sails, nets, and other naval equipment. English farmers had to grow a quarter acre of hemp or flax for every sixty acres of land. The penalty for non-compliance was a fine of three shillings and fourpence. In those times, this amounted to a half year’s wage for a household servant.
Cannabis Facts Bhutan – Pigs Getting Stoned in Bhutan
Bhutanese pigs get to live the high life! In order to fatten their pigs, the farmers in Eastern and Western Bhutan like to get them as baked as possible. They feed them cannabis because the locals favor fatty pork. Cannabis is added to their diet to increase their food intake and make them sleep more often. As one could imagine, this technique is effective.
In Bhutan, the use of cannabis is illegal and punishable by up to 3 years in prison. Medical exemptions do not exist. Ironically, cannabis grows naturally all across the country. The Bhutanese government created an eradication program but the task has been found to be nearly impossible. Despite burning field after field, there is too much growing in the wild to control.
I hope that you enjoyed these random cannabis facts! If you want to have a little more fun and use your noggin in a different way, try the weed wordsearch below.
Footnote(s)
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2001/09/shakespeares-tenth-muse.html
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/this-presidents-day-remem_b_162088
https://www.everydayhealth.com/yeast-infection/guide/prevention/
https://mugglehead.com/in-the-land-of-the-thunder-dragon-only-the-pigs-get-high/
https://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/countries/cannabis-in-north-korea-laws-use-history/
https://www.businessinsider.com/is-marijuana-legal-in-north-korea-2017-5
https://hempearth.ca/2020/05/06/the-worlds-first-plane-made-from-and-powered-by-hemp/
https://worldofhemp.co.uk/blogs/news/history-of-hemp-and-the-origins-of-cbd