I. Origins and Antiquity (up to 476 AD)
Cannabis originated in Central Asia , more specifically in the foothills of the Himalayas.
1. Neolithic Uses and China (from -10,000 BC)
- Fibres and Ropes : The first traces of the use of cannabis (hemp) date back to around 10,000 BC in Asia, particularly in Taiwan, to make ropes and fabrics thanks to its robust fibrees.
- China : The cultivation is attested as early as 8000 BC. The Chinese used hemp for textiles, paper (the first durable paper was made from hemp and mulberry), oil and seeds (food).
- Chinese Medicine : Around 2800 BC , Emperor Shennong, considered the father of Chinese medicine, mentions cannabis in his treatise ( Shennong Bencao Jing ), recommending it for the treatment of pain, malaria, and constipation.
2. Spread in Asia and the Middle East
- India : Around 1500 BC , cannabis is mentioned in the Atharva Veda as one of the five sacred plants. It is widely used for religious, recreational, and medicinal purposes (under the names bhang , ganja , charas ).
- Scythians : These nomads of central Eurasia (around 450 BC) are described by the Greek historian Herodotus as inhaling the vapors of cannabis burned during funeral rituals, thus contributing to its spread westward.
3. Medical Use in the Classical World
- Egypt : The Ebers Papyrus (-1500 BC) mentions cannabis for treating various ailments, including inflammation and childbirth.
- Greece and Rome : The Greeks and Romans used it primarily for ropes and sails . Physicians like Dioscorides and Galen prescribed it for ear infections, headaches, and inflammation.
II. Middle Ages and Modern Times (476 to 1840)
1. The Role of the Muslim World
During the Middle Ages, as Europe experienced a period of scientific decline, Muslim societies played a major role. The use of hashish (cannabis resin) spread, often as a substitute for alcohol, which was forbidden by Islam, both for pleasure and as a remedy. Cannabis was then introduced to North Africa, Spain , and, by extension, other parts of the African continent.
2. Strategic Culture in Europe
In Europe, hemp remains an essential agricultural crop for the manufacture of ropes, sails and paper. Its importance is strategic for national navies (hence the origin of the word "Canebière" in Marseille, from the Provençal canebe , hemp).
3. The Napoleonic Wars
At the beginning of the 19th century, French soldiers in the Egyptian campaign (1798-1801) rediscovered the recreational and psychoactive uses of cannabis, bringing the habit back to France. It was during this period that the famous Club des Hashischins developed in Paris, bringing together writers and artists such as Baudelaire.
III. The Golden Age of Medicine and the Great Disappearance (1840 to 1937)
1. The Medical Rediscovery in the West
In 1839 , the Irish physician William O'Shaughnessy published a report on his research conducted in India, advocating the use of cannabis to relieve pain, spasms (tetanus), and convulsions (epilepsy).
Cannabis then became part of the Western pharmacopoeia and was widely marketed in the form of tinctures, extracts and cigarettes (notably "Grimault's Indian cigarettes") to treat migraines, neuropathic pain, nausea and sleep disorders.
2. The Decline and Prohibition
Medical cannabis began to decline at the end of the 19th century for several reasons:
- Difficulty in dosage : The concentration of active ingredients is unpredictable.
- Slowness of action : Compared to new injectable drugs.
- Competition : The arrival of more stable and effective synthetic drugs (such as aspirin in 1899).
The decisive turning point came in the 20th century with the intensification of Prohibition in the United States, motivated by a mixture of xenophobia, economic interests, and propaganda:
- 1925 (Geneva Convention) : "Indian hemp" is placed under international control.
- 1937 (Marihuana Tax Act) : In the United States, cannabis was effectively prohibited at the federal level, largely driven by Narcotics Commissioner Harry Anslinger, who led a propaganda campaign ("Reefer Madness"). Other Western countries, including France (which removed cannabis from its pharmacopoeia in 1953), gradually followed this prohibition trend.
IV. The Era of Prohibition and Modern Science (1937 to the Present)
1. Counterculture and Science
Despite the ban, recreational cannabis use exploded from the 1960s onwards, particularly in the hippie counterculture and protest movements.
At the same time, science made two major discoveries:
- 1964 : Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam isolates and identifies the main psychoactive compound: THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
- 1990s : Discovery of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) , a system of receptors and molecules naturally produced by the human body, which is the target of cannabinoid action. This discovery opened a new era of medical research.
2. The Return to Medicine and Legalization
From the end of the 20th century, pressure from patients and scientific advances led to a gradual change in legislation:
- 1996 : California becomes the first US state to legalize cannabis for medical use.
- Years 2000-2010 : Many countries (Canada, Israel, Germany, Netherlands, etc.) and American states put in place medical cannabis programs for specific indications (chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, severe epilepsy).
- 2013 : Colorado and Washington State become the first to legalize cannabis for recreational use .
- France : An experiment with cannabis for medical use is launched, confirming the interest in certain refractory clinical situations.
Today, the history of cannabis is marked by a growing tension between 20th-century prohibition laws and the imperatives of public health, individual freedom, and economic opportunities. The debate over its complete regulation is now global.