Marihuana: The First Twelve Thousand Years

by Ernest L. Abel

Of all the plants men have ever grown, none has been praised and denounced as often as marihuana (Cannabis sativa). Throughout the ages, marihuana has been extolled as one of man's greatest benefactors­ and cursed as one of his greatest scourges. Marihuana is undoubtedly a herb that has been many things to many people. Armies and navies have used it to make war, men and women to make love. Hunters and fishermen have snared the most ferocious creatures, from the tiger to the shark, in its herculean weave. Fashion designers have dressed the most elegant women in its supple knit. Hangmen have snapped the necks of thieves and murderers with its fiber. Obstetricians have eased the pain of childbirth with its leaves. Farmers have crushed its seeds and used the oil within to light their lamps. Mourners have thrown its seeds into blazing fires and have had their sorrow transformed into blissful ecstasy by the fumes that filled the air. Marihuana has been known by many hemp, hashish, dagga, bhang, loco weed, grass-the list is endless. Formally christened Cannabis sativa in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, marihuana is one of nature's hardiest specimens. It needs little care to thrive. One need not talk to it, sing to it, or play soothing tranquil Brahms lullabies to coax it to grow. It is as vigorous as a weed. It is ubiquitous. It fluorishes under nearly every possible climatic condition.

Genres: Nonfiction

300 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 1980

Reviews

[Kristen]

Read this one years ago and I remember absolutely loving it! Then I loaned to a friend who lost it and the library charged me an outrageous amount of money for it, which of course I never payed, so I haven't been back to that library since.

Anyways, this is the perfect book for any pothead. For quite a long time after reading it, I constantly repeated all the fun facts from this book, which for the most part I have now forgotten. This is at the top of my 'books to reread' list, and as much as I enjoyed it I also remember it making me quite mad that a simple plant that has played such a big role in the history of our species should be outlawed today just so those in the liquor industry can make a few more dollars with their far far more dangerous product.

[251]

An insightful and detailed investigation into historical marijuana practices across the world.

[Denis Farley]

This is a good compliment to Jack Herer's book and was cited as a reference. There's info in this not addressed directly by Jack and vice versa. It has inspired more of a botanical inquiry for my next examination of the subject.

[Jimmy Ele]

Very informative book on the recorded history of marijuana.