We don’t know what happened to humans around 60,000 years ago, but from that time onward archeology has revealed the accelerated development of a tool-making culture whose technological aptitude led to artistic expression, pottery, jewelry and building. Hemp was being used during the Neolithic period, recently hemp rope dating to 29,500 B.C was recovered from an archeological site in Czechoslovakia. This prehistoric human period is the subject of a new paper, co-written by Dr John Partland and Geoffrey Guy that argues our association with cannabinoids is so ancient that our ECS receptor sites evolved to better accommodate phytocannabinoids.

The authors’ hypothesis is that plant cannabinoids interacting with the human endocannabinoid system (ECS) act as a “proto-medicine” improving the fitness of the receptor and that the body made evolutionary changes to strengthen the ligand-receptor association. Cannabinoids gave humans the advantage of enhanced vision, acuity, perception and cerebral stimulation and provided a rich dietary source of essential fatty acids. These benefits may have given our ancestors the impetus to make these significant technological and cultural advances. Certainly, the ancient association with cannabis and hemp has many implications for early culture and the health of populations. The early Neolithic period is characterized by hunter-gatherer societies, gathering hemp eventually led to hemp cultivation which archeology shows us was widespread in the ancient world. Medical texts from China, Egypt and India place cannabis medicine firmly established by 3000 BC, accounting for thousands of years of human cannabis interaction.

A new book by Chris Bennet ‘Cannabis: Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World’ starts where prehistory gives way to the ancient world and the rise of monotheism. Bennett focuses on the Old Testament which includes references of cannabis being used in anointing oil, healing salves and fumigation rituals. He cites the important archeological discovery of both frankincense and cannabis resin on a Judahite altar at Tel Abad in Israel. This discovery renewed interest concerning the use of cannabis in ancient rituals and led to a reevaluation of Old Testament texts which presented conflicting evidence of both orthodox religious cannabis use and condemnation from religious conservatism which denounced cannabis as a degenerate foreign indulgence.

These are thought-provoking ideas that add to our musings on the long association of humans and cannabis and the way that cannabis has been culturally embraced and abandoned throughout history. One thing is definite, humans were early adopters of cannabis, and it has shown extraordinary staying power in human history as a resource for medicine, fiber and food.