13 Fun Facts You May Not Have Known About Cannabis!

cannabisCannabis has made its way into the mainstream with its ability to treat a variety of different ailments such as anxiety, PTSD, and autism. As more research is being done more is becoming commonly known about this magical herb. You may not
have heard about these interesting facts though.

1. Shakespeare smoked pot

The link between cannabis and increased creativity and imagination is common knowledge. Is this how William Shakespeare created so many legendary works? Researchers at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand seem to think so. They managed to get 20 clay tobacco pipes from his garden that date back to the 17th century. 8 of the 20 pipes studied had traces of marijuana. Of course, we can’t ask him to validate this claim but it seems pretty likely. the first thing ever bought online was marijuana.

2. Suicide rates have dipped in Colorado since legalization

Suicide is one of the top ten causes of death in the United States. Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in November 2012. Since then, the suicide rates have been going down and researchers have been looking into why. Since legalization, total suicide rates have dropped 5%. It appears that legalization affected men more than women. With males aged 20-29, the suicide rate dropped by 11% and with men aged 30-39, it dropped 9%. 

3. There are more than 200 words for weed 

Cannabis has different names all over the world. There are actually more than 200 known slang words. This is mostly due to the criminalization of this plant. “Weed”, “pot”, and “marijuana” are all American street names that emerged in the 1930s.

4. Cannabis affects men and women differently 

There have been many studies that prove this in rats. Weirdly, women have been excluded from these types of studies because of their fluctuating hormones. The study shows that females have a higher tolerance to THC than males. Men are more sensitive to it and also are more likely to get the “munchies”. 
weed

5. The Hollywood sign has had a name change twice

Hollywood has had its iconic sign changed twice to say Hollyweed. A Hollywood local first altered the sign on New Years Day in 1976 to celebrate the first year that marijuana had been decriminalized in California. It became somewhat of a tradition on New Year’s Day in 2017 when someone again changed the sign to Hollyweed. Unfortunately, everyone involved was caught and charged but the new name has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?

6. It’s been around for thousands of years

Human evolution and hemp go hand in hand. The use of cannabis has been documented for thousands of years. In Ancient China they used the seeds for food and the plant to make oil and rope. As trade between different countries spread so
did the use of this magical plant. Even President Washington is thought to have grown his own plants to alleviate pain caused by 18th-century dentures. 

7. Cannabis and beer are related 

Cannabis and hops are closely related biological cousins. They both come from the same family of flowering plants called Cannaceae. Of course, the main difference is that there are no cannabinoids in hops but the similarities go deeper than how they make you feel. Because of their strong connection, breweries have been brewing these relatives together for an unforgettable taste experience.

8. In Italy, it is legal for Rastafarians to smoke marijuana 

Marijuana is not legal in Italy unless you are a Rastafarian. It is allowed for religious reasons as it’s used in the Rastafari region as a meditation aid. The legalization was brought on by a public court trial in 2004. A Rastafarian man living in Italy was
sentenced to 4 months in prison on top of a 4000 Euro fine for the procession of 58 grams of cannabis. His lawyer not only got him off but led to the approval from the high court to allow Rastas to smoke this herb.

9. Bob Marley was buried with his favorite green plant

It may not come as a shock that the writer of the songs pass the marijuana and Smoke Two Joints was buried with a bud of marijuana. He was also buried with his Les Paul guitar, a soccer ball, his favourite ring, and a bible.

10. There is synthetic cannabis

John W. Huffman created synthetic pot in the 1980s. Nowadays there are more than 100 different varieties of this “weaponized marijuana”. He claims that this discovery was accidental and was just trying to understand the way THC stimulates
a specific receptor in the brain. It made its way into the streets and is responsible for many deaths. It may cause the same sensation as its natural counterpart but it is not the same and it is not safe. People that have taken it report negative side effects and the high can last for days.
weed

11. In Colorado, there are more dispensaries than there are Starbucks 

Medical and recreational weed is still illegal there but it doesn’t stop them from popping up on every corner. There are 491 dispensaries, 392 Starbucks, and 208 McDonalds locations. This depends on where you are in Colorado though. In Denver, there are four Starbucks for every dispensary but in other neighborhoods, they can have up to 9 times as many dispensaries as coffee shops 

12. You can’t OD on cannabis

Taking too much THC can make you feel anxious and weird but it will not cause an overdose. It would take 800 joints to actually kill someone and the cause of death wouldn’t be an OD. After smoking that much it would lead to carbon monoxide
poisoning. 

13. Canada was the first country to legalize medical marijuana 

Canada became the first country to legalize medical marijuana in 2001. This year there is almost 10,000 people in Health Canada’s MMAR program (Marijuana Medical Access Regulations) program. Canada is also the second country to legalize recreational marijuana.