Chances are, everyone reading this has at least heard of marijuana. It’s a hot topic in the news, with more and more states legalizing it for medicinal or recreational use every year. But how did we get here? In this blog post, we’re going to take a quick look at the history of Mountain Annie’s Cannabis Recreational Marijuana, from its early beginnings to its current incarnation.
The history to consider
Marijuana is an annual herbaceous plant in the Cannabis genus. These plants have been used for their psychoactive and medicinal properties for thousands of years by cultures around the world. The earliest documented use of cannabis dates back to 2700 BCE in China, where it was used as a medicinal herb.
From there, cannabis spread throughout Asia and into Africa, eventually making its way to the Americas with the help of the Spanish and Portuguese in the 16th century. In North America, cannabis was used by Native Americans for a variety of purposes, including as a (medicinal) pain reliever, for diarrhea, and even as a (recreational) intoxicant.
Cannabis began to be demonized in the early 20th century with the rise of prohibitionist sentiments across the United States. This culminated in the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937, which effectively criminalized cannabis nationwide. Despite this legislation, cannabis continued to be used by many Americans (including some high-profile figures like President JFK), though it remained underground.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that public opinion on cannabis began to change once again. With the advent of the counterculture movement, young people began experimenting with cannabis as a means of rebellion against authority figures. This ultimately led to increased pressure on lawmakers to reconsider their stance on cannabis, which eventually led to its decriminalization in many states beginning in the 1970s.
In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize recreational cannabis use, and since then several other states have followed suit. As public opinion continues to shift in favor of legalization, it seems likely that even more states will jump on board in the near future.
Conclusion:
Marijuana has come a long way since its early beginnings in China over 4000 years ago. Today, it is legal for medicinal or recreational use in many states across America, with more likely to follow suit in the near future. It’s safe to say that the history of marijuana is still being written—and we can’t wait to see what happens next.
