You probably didn’t know that cannabis was domesticated so long ago

Cannabis is an old, old plant. Its use as a medicinal substance and spiritual enhancer has been documented in ancient times and has been found in archaeological sites across Asia that are millennia old. Cannabis was mentioned in the sacred Hindu texts that are known as. are known The Vedas, which is estimated to have been around 2000 to 1400 BC. And woven hemp fibers were made in an ancient one 10,000 year old tomb in Taiwan.

Its history is long, but no one has been able to identify exactly when our ancestors switched from the side of the cannabis plant to active occupation with it for agricultural domestication and where this happened. Until now, that is.

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Research in recent years points to the plant probably originated in Central Asia, namely Mongolia, but a research article in the July issue of Scientific advances indicates that based on genome mapping, it was first domesticated in China about 12,000 years ago.

The study looked at the “whole genome re-sequencing of 110 worldwide-origin accessions,” including wild, landrace, and hybridized cannabis and hemp plants, to determine where cannabis was first domesticated to meet human needs, and how this changed its gene pool and subsequent psychoactive substances, medicinal and practical properties.

As the international discourse on cannabis legalization has become more prevalent in recent years, and more and more US states have shifted their attitudes, our understanding of how humans originally bred and manipulated cannabis genetics could be crucial in order to to maximize their medicinal value and counter the stigma about the inherent danger.

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Tracking opportunities over time can also give us insight into how societies use cannabis as both a fiber, medicine, and recreational drug. The study states, “Some of the current Chinese landraces and wild plants are the closest offspring of the ancestral gene pool that has since evolved into hemp and marijuana landraces and varieties.”

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Disinformation or neglected information about cannabis abounds, and bans and criminalization have created enormous barriers to understanding all about the past, present, and future of this plant. Studies like this ground research into verifiable science and open the door to additional knowledge.

Cannabis is here to stay, but most things require knowing where you’ve been to understand where you’re going.