Cannabis. Weed. Ganja. Pot. Whatever you call it, it’s that ancient plant that has been used by societies all over the world for both medication and recreation for thousands of years. Whether you use marijuana to relax or because of its many medical effects you are far from the first to discover the seemingly limitless number of uses for this plant. But apart from the common uses of marijuana you may be surprised to learn a few other facts about the cannabis sativa plant. Here are a few of them.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]1[/su_dropcap]POT AND PRESIDENTS
A surprising fact that most people would not know is that both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both grew hemp which happens to be a close relative of marijuana. Both of these men were hemp farmers cultivating it as a secondary crop.
Rumor has it that the Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper. In the year 1619, it was a legal requirement to grow hemp which was then utilized in making paper, ship sails and fabrics too. The first US flag was sewn by Betsy Ross on hemp cloth. Also the first woven fabric known to mankind was made from dried hemp weeds between 7000-8000 BCE.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]2[/su_dropcap]HEROIN GETS YOU TO THE HOSPITAL BUT NOT WEED
Overdosing on heroin and other drugs is quite common, but did you know that it is theoretically impossible to consume enough marijuana to induce a fatal overdose? The amount of cannabis required for a fatal overdose is approximately 1500 pounds…ingested in just 15 minutes.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]3[/su_dropcap]CANNABIS USE DOES NOT AFFECT IQ LEVEL
One of the most wretched falsehoods promoted by anti-cannabis crusaders is that it causes a drop in IQ. Not true. In terms of marijuana and its effects on brain cells, or neurons, there is little evidence to suggest that any of the active ingredients in the marijuana plant administered at doses appropriate for human consumption have neurotoxic effects.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]4[/su_dropcap]THE FIRST ONLINE TRANSACTION WAS FOR WEED
Shopping online is a trend growing fast and the possibilities to choose from are endless. According to a book by John Markoff in 2005, the first online transaction was for marijuana back in the 1970s.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]5[/su_dropcap]HELP FOR PATIENTS WITH AUTISM
Millions of people are affected by autism across the world. Pharmaceutical medications and therapy are common modes of treatment for autism. Since marijuana is being recognized as a medical drug which works, it is being considered as an effective and result bearing alternative to the traditional treatment methods.
The case of Alex Echols suffering from serious autism, gained popularity because his tendency to self-harm himself was greatly reduced due to the usage of cannabis oil. Not a perfect solution but amazing results have come out which none other could provide.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]6[/su_dropcap]NINJA TRAINING
According to a Japanese cannabis expert, Junichi Takayasu, he was inspired to grow cannabis because of the fact that the Japanese ninjas-in-training used to grow hemp and as it grew rapidly they practiced leaping it higher and higher, which developed their leg muscles. Being inspired, he happens to have the only museum in Japan dedicated to hemp and cannabis.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]7[/su_dropcap]HEMP KILLS AND SAVES
The ropes that were made out of hemp were known for their superior strength and lack of elasticity and professional hangmen used to use hemp ropes for nooses before capital punishment was made illegal in England. Also, hemp fiber is so strong that it can be used in bulletproof clothing. So strong that it can stop a 22-caliber as well as 9mm bullet.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]8[/su_dropcap]CANNABIS FILLED PILLOWS
During the peak of relaxed drug policies of Switzerland, hundreds of shops selling cannabis sold small amounts of cannabis packages as aromatic pillow and also as bath scents on the condition they were “not to be consumed”.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]9[/su_dropcap]LOWERS SUICIDE RATES
Medical marijuana has really helped in the areas where it has been introduced as a legal drug by lowering the suicide rate fighting depression. When a law for medical marijuana was passed in Denver there was a 5% drop in the suicide rates overall shown in the Denver all-state study. The main reason being that people replaced alcohol consumption with marijuana.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]10[/su_dropcap]CANNABIS KILLS CANCER
Not only can cannabis help with the horrible side effects of cancer and its treatment, research shows that it is actually a cancer killer itself. A Recent Spanish study suggests that the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, THC, can kill brain cancer cells. When THC was applied to the cancerous tissues of brain the cancer cells were killed off leaving the healthy cells alone. Scientific research show that the other primary cannabinoid, CBD, tends to do the same by stopping metastasis in numerous aggressive kinds of cancer.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]11[/su_dropcap]HENRY FORD’S MODEL T
The Henry Ford’s first Model T which was built in 1908 was made of hemp plastic and used to run on ethanol (ethyl alcohol) made from hemp.