The Global History of Cannabis: From Vedic India to Jazz-Era America

This history of cannabis is anything but boring. Once revered as a sacred medicine, later outlawed and demonized, and now rediscovered as both a form of relief and joy, its lore follows a journey unlike any other plant on Earth.

If you've ever wondered, "Where did marijuana originate?" during a contemplatively hazy session, you aren't alone. So here it is, as told in parts, with full recognition that the story of cannabis is long and far too rich to be reduced to a single encyclopedia entry. 

When was weed discovered? Currently, archaeological evidence suggests that it dates back to at least 2700 BCE, following a discovery in Turpan’s Jiayi cemetery by the Yanghai Tombs of Xinjiang.

Inside this ancient Chinese tomb, archaeologists uncovered a shaman laid to rest with nearly a kilogram of female cannabis flowers and seeds. Other evidence from around the same time in China indicates that ancient mourners burned cannabis during funerals as a ritualistic—and perhaps mind-elevating—incense. 

Of course, this was unlikely the first time cannabis was used by humans; it's just the oldest evidence we have to date. It's safe to assume people have had a relationship with the plant that’s much longer than the age of the archaeological evidence that survives.

Other evidence from China adds fuel to the fire about humans' use of cannabis throughout the ages. Around the first and second centuries, a legendary Chinese emperor named Shen Nung compiled one of the earliest herbal manuals yet discovered, Chen-nung Pen-tsao Ching. Cannabis made it onto his list of 120 ingredients, suggested for gout, constipation, malaria, and a condition called "wind-rheum."

Cannabis was also integral to other cultures during this period. In ancient India, this plant started off with a "bhang." (Get it?)

According to traditional lore, cannabis grew wherever droplets of the divine nectar fell to Earth during a cosmic event. Lord Shiva, known as the "Lord of Bhang," was given cannabis to cool his burning throat after being poisoned.

Outside of divine mythology, the earliest-known written reference to human use of cannabis appears in the Atharva Veda (aka Vedas), one of Hinduism's foundational texts that was established between 1500 and 1000 BCE. In these texts, it was referred to as bhanga and honored as one of the five sacred plants. The Vedas celebrated cannabis as a "joy-giver," "liberator," and "source of happiness."

It also became an essential ingredient within traditional Ayurvedic practices. Known in Ayurveda texts as Vijaya, cannabis was believed to ease pain, soothe digestive issues, calm the mind, support hormonal balance, and more.

Were these ancient cultures the first people to smoke weed? Again, very unlikely. These texts are simply some of the first evidence discovered about how and when cannabis was used in everyday life.

To this day, many of these same beliefs and practices remain integral to spiritual life here. During the spring festival, Holi, cannabis is still infused into a sweet, spicy milk drink known as bhang thandai. On Maha Shivaratri, a festival honoring Lord Shiva, devotees consume bhang to deepen their spiritual connection. 

… And then there was hashish. 

During the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned roughly 800 to 1300 CE, cannabis stepped into another interesting role. With the rise of brilliant poets, groundbreaking science, and a rich exchange across the Silk Road, cannabis played a central role in a cultural revolution.

Throughout this period, cannabis was developed as both a medicine and a tool for mysticism. Islamic medical scholars, including both Avicenna and Al-Razi, wrote about cannabis in their extensive medical texts, recommending it for everything from migraines and inflammation to digestive issues and wound healing. 

At the same time, hashish was gaining traction outside of the clinic. Hash, for the uninitiated, is the concentrated resin of the cannabis flower and is still smoked around the world today. Mystics within the Sufi tradition started working with hashish to fuel their spiritual performances, believing it helped quiet the mind and deepen their connection to the divine.

One legend credits the dervish Qutb al-Din Haydar with popularizing hashish among his followers. Kaydar used it to ease pain during intense rituals and to overcome mental challenges during regenerative experiences. During the Islamic Golden Age, cannabis and hash became woven into daily life, poetry, religion, and art.

Soon, cannabis was expanding its reach beyond the Old World and into the New. Unfortunately, during this time, the history of marijuana took somewhat of a dark turn, in part through colonization and the Transatlantic slave trade. 

Interestingly, Spanish and Portuguese colonizers were principally responsible for introducing cannabis to the Americas, yet it wasn't for the reasons you might think. Through these routes, cannabis wasn't actually introduced as medicine or as a spiritual element. Instead, Europeans brought hemp cultivation to the Americas for the production of rope, clothing, and canvas for sails.

In early America, hemp was so critical that some colonies imposed fines on farmers who refused to plant it. And it was so valuable that colonists could even pay taxes with hemp. George Washington cultivated hemp at Mount Vernon, believing it to be more useful and much more profitable than tobacco.

But when the slave trade kicked into high gear, experts believe that is when cannabis as we know it today first came to the Americas. Many historians feel that cannabis, as a psychoactive plant, came from enslaved Angolans working under brutal conditions on Brazilian sugarcane fields. 

These enslaved people were familiar with cannabis from their homeland and used it to cope with barbaric labor conditions on the plantations. From here, its use gradually spread throughout the colonies and into society at large.

For a long time, cannabis existed as just another plant with interesting qualities. It was used medicinally in some circles but remained largely a curiosity.

It was only during the Roaring Twenties that cannabis transformed from a somewhat obscure herb into a symbol of cultural rebellion, artistic freedom, and racial identity. As it grew into its new role, it also set the stage for America's first major drug prohibition campaign rooted in racism and white supremacy. 

This new era of weed began in New Orleans' Storyville district, where jazz musicians discovered the plant's power to inspire creativity. As young musicians began working with this herb, it started to pop up in what were known as tea pads.

Tea pads were small, cozy lounges where people could listen to live jazz, let loose, and pass a joint. Cannabis became so synonymous with jazz that even musicians like Louis Armstrong wrote songs about it.

But this newfound freedom didn't last. As cannabis culture moved into the mainstream, it became a target of the naysayers. Because cannabis was popular among Black jazz musicians and Mexican immigrants working the fields in the Southern US, early drug laws weaponized cannabis as a way to control and criminalize racialized minorities.

Within a decade of the start of the cannabis social debate, the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act was passed, outlawing cannabis in the US. A year later, the now-infamous Reefer Madness was released. Suddenly, the world of creativity and free expression came crashing to a halt. 

Anti-cannabis crackdowns and disproportionate enforcement against communities of color became the norm.

Flash forward to 2025, and cannabis looks a lot different than it did even just a few decades ago. What was once demonized is now embraced by the majority of U.S. states, with both medical and recreational cannabis laws on the books. Globally, over 40 countries have legalized cannabis for medical use, and trailblazers like Uruguay and Canada have fully embraced adult-use markets. Even the United Nations reclassified cannabis in 2020, signaling a seismic shift in how the world views this plant.

But perhaps the most pivotal turning point came in 2018 with the passage of the Farm Bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump. This legislation federally legalized hemp—defined as cannabis with no more than 0.3% THC—and opened the door for nationwide access to hemp-derived cannabinoids like CBD and Delta-9. This, as opposed to safeguarding the benefits of cannabis to those who meet the narrow restrictions and fiscal demands of medical marijuana programs. 

We are in the midst of a massive global shift that finally acknowledges what our human history has long confirmed: This plant has value for people's minds, bodies, and spirits. 

But this doesn't mean the fight against anti-cannabis tyranny is over—even right here in our home state of Texas. We continue to fight against legislation that contradicts the thousands of years of spiritual, cultural, and medicinal relationships humans have had with this plant. 

Our most recent battle was against bill SB3, a bill that would have wiped out hemp-derived THC in Texas. On June 22, 2025, Governor Greg Abbott vetoed this ridiculous legislation, and we consider it a huge win, albeit a temporary one. Lawmakers are coming back in July, and the future of legal hemp-derived THC in Texas is still at risk.

Despite challenges that come our way, Hometown Hero is honored to play a part in this global and historic movement. This plant has always belonged to the people— and we will never stop defending your right to access it.

Until next time, stay curious, keep up the fight, and Mind your Mind.