The world of Cannabis is far more fascinating than many people might imagine - here are some interesting Cannabis Facts.
The Doomsday Vault can be found on the island of Svalbard, between Norway and the North Pole. It is a repository of millions of frozen seeds, placed there in case of the extinction of any plant species. And among these samples are thousands of different varieties of Cannabis seeds.
We take buying and selling on the Internet for granted today - but what was the first item to be traded? The first eCommerce transaction was way back in 1971 when a group of students from Stanford university made the first transaction on an early version of the Internet. And Cannabis was the primary product sold. Rumor has it that the Stanford students bought the cannabis from their fellow students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (some ex-students claim it was the other way around).
The Kingdom of Bhutan has a huge Cannabis problem - but it's not about the legality of Cannabis, rather it has far too much of it. It grows everywhere, from rural areas to cities where it can be found growing from cracks in the sidewalks. It's used to feed pigs, but it is regarded as a nuisance weed (pun intended).
If you were ever forced to study the Bard and were mystified about some of the flowery language that he used - he may have been at least partly inspired by the use of Cannabis. Archeologists excavating his home in Stratford-upon-Avon U.K found a variety of used pipes. And at least eight of them had traces of Cannabis.
North Korea may not be on the top of the vacation bucket list - but according to defectors Cannabis is legal in the country - or at least there is no policing of its use. According to Bulgarian journalist Darmon Richter he purchased a bag of Cannabis for 80c while in North Korea - and his state-appointed minders regularly smoked with him.
Queen Victoria used Cannabis to soothe menstrual pains, but Queen Elizabeth the 1st (born 1533) enjoyed it for its relaxing properties. In fact, she used to offer it to guests of the Royal Court - and issued an edict that it be grown by English farmers.
Between 1938 and 1962 the U.S. government had an 'Official Marijuana Expert'. He once testified under oath that when he smoked Cannabis it made him think that he had turned into a bat.
According to the United Nations Marijuana is used by around 158.8 million people worldwide. That’s over 3.8% of the world’s population.
According to linguistic experts, there are over 200 slang terms for Cannabis.
So there you have it - some interesting Cannabis facts. Cannabis has been part of life in many cultures for thousands of years - it seems that the West is only now catching up.