5 ms·

The Antique Cannabis Book

102 points by wilsonfiifi 9y ago

mbrock 9y ago
I remember when I was much younger, when I would hear or read something about how cannabis has been used by humans for a very long time, I thought that it was like a kind of "conspiracy theory."
- cies 9y ago
  See India. https://www.google.nl/search?q=sadhu+chillum&num=100&source=lnms&tbm=isch https://www.google.nl/search?q=sadhu+chillum&num=100&source=... That's some old culture in those images, but how old exactly is hard to say for me. I'm no historian, but 1000s might well be true.
  - saiya-jin 9y ago
    It is true... it is even part of their religion. Shiva is one of main gods, and what does whole India do on Shiva's day to celebrate him? Getting high on bhang, basically lassi with cannabis mixed in. They only outlawed it because of UN, which was strongarmed into this by US (and why US? well Nixon didn't like hippies and mexicans) you can see it growing in whole himalaya wild, some places more (ie Manali/Malana) in Himachal Pradesh)
  - 13of40 9y ago
    https://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2008/11/27/2700yearold_marijuana_found_in_chinese_tomb.html https://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2008/11/27/2700ye... Don't know if this is the latest news, but they dated this two pound bundle of weed to 2700 years ago.
    - cies 9y ago
      Wow 2 pounds can get you in serious trouble nowadays, pretty much all over the world. Death penalties and all.
      - 13of40 9y ago
        Apparently they had to get special permission to move it from China to the UK for study.
        cies 9y ago
        Pppplease... We promise we will not consume it. :)
- Lambdanaut 9y ago
  There's Cannabis, Peyote, San Pedro, Ayahuasca, Psilocybin containing mushrooms, Muscarin containing mushrooms, syrian rue, sinicuichi, morning glory, datura, mandrake, nicotiana Rustica, yopo, cebil... Brother I am only tapping the outer layer of the historical use of entheogenic plants and fungi that have been in tribal use for spiritual ceremonies for thousands of years. This is not to mention any NON-entheogenic plants.
- widyowid 9y ago
  It's also used as one of the spices in Aceh, Indonesia: "On the other hand, besides the various kinds of ingredients used to make the food, there is also some unusual ingredients involved in the making of the dishes, and i am very interested about that issue. You will be surprised if i tell you that Marijuana has been used as food ingredients. Yes, it is proven that marijuana is known to be one of the food ingredients in Aceh city, Sumatra island, Indonesia. Usage of marijuana and another kinds of drugs are strongly banned in indonesia. Drug trafficker will face a death sentence if caught by the police. However, using it as food ingredients is tolerable. Even the vice president, Jusuf Kalla legalized the usage of marijuana as a seasoning. The reasons that support this approval are the fact that the marijuana is being used only just to give local distinct flavor of Acehnese dishes. In addition, marijuana has been a spice that becomes a part of Acehnese cooking method. It is a part of a local tradition. One owner of the Acehnese restaurant in Jakarta was asked by a newspaper reporter, and she said, "Marijuana is available in any Acehnese kitchen just like coriander"."Marijuana is a widely-accepted cooking spice there". Most restaurants in Aceh use some pieces of marijuana leaves as a seasoning to cook rice, soups, as well as some entrees. Some examples of dishes that cooked with marijuana are, lamb curry, noodle soup, beef curry, etc. Local residents said that the dishes cooked with marijuana leaves will smell and taste better it will also give local distinct flavor. Many people said that food seasoned with Marijuana in Aceh is somewhat very delicious and addictive." [0] [0]: http://nutritionfortheworld.wikifoundry.com/page/The+usage+of+Marijuana+as+food+ingredients http://nutritionfortheworld.wikifoundry.com/page/The+usage+o...
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- panzagl 9y ago
  And I remember reading how you used to be able to beat your wife with a stick no bigger than your thumb. Doesn't mean anything about today.
  - mbrock 9y ago
    Out of curiosity, what do you imagine that my comment meant to say about today?
    - panzagl 9y ago
      Just the usual 'people used to do it, so it's ok'. Maybe I read too much into it.
      - mbrock 9y ago
        Yeah, I wasn't trying to say that, which is why I didn't say it! I do think a truth-based approach to drugs should be a part of general education, and that the current older generation has failed embarrassingly and awfully in its drug policies.
  - _jal 9y ago
    ...Because consuming plant matter is just like domestic violence?
    - cjjuice 9y ago
      unrelated side note... I think this is a great example of how much we use loaded language in rhetoric. you turned "cannabis" to "plant matter" and "beat your wife with a stick no bigger than your thumb" to "domestic violence". It's also amazing that this rhetorical technique is only useful to a modern audience that has been conditioned to associate certain feelings to the words. Not disagreeing with your point, just thought it was interesting.
      - _jal 9y ago
        Pretty sure manipulation with loaded language is not unique to modern discourse. There seems to be an assumption that folks who predate modern tech were somehow unsophisticated or innocent. Not so - if anyone finds modern political antics entertaining, I highly recommend them Roman history. While spotting rhetorical techniques, I'd throw out that my synonym-choice is more something that I've been trying to train myself out of - I tend to unconsciously take a step 'up' in generality when rephrasing elements of others' arguments, and it isn't a great habit. Sometimes it can be useful, but oftentimes muddies the waters. Been trying to retrain myself, obviously with mixed results.
delbel 9y ago
http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap5/Prices.htm http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap5/Prices.htm 1 pound bulk went from about $2 in the 1910's to $10 in 1920s back to $2 in 1930s. Adjusted for inflation and the chart data for years ending in 7's that's $34.49 in 1937, $136 in 1927, and $72 in 1917 per pound. Right now if you are a licensed producer you can sell bulk marijuana for processing for about $100 trim, $200-250 flower, in Oregon. So it sounds about right. It sells for $15 a gram retail, which is an incredible markup ($15 * 454g/pound = $6810 per pound) but the processors only get between 5-15% THC/CBD extraction yield per bulk pound, and for whatever reasons the retailers sell it at 100% markup.
- jacobush 9y ago
  Isn't 100% markup pretty common for retail in general?
  - sv123 9y ago
    Yes
  - 09bjb 9y ago
    Yes. There's no other way to get it legally.
    - blacksmith_tb 9y ago
      In Oregon at least you can grow up to four plants for personal use [1], I assume Washington and Colorado have similar provisions. 1: http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/marijuana/Pages/FAQs-Personal-Use.aspx http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/marijuana/Pages/FAQs-Personal-Use...
      - mikestew 9y ago
        You would assume wrong about WA, much to my chagrin. I think CO allows it, though.
8ig8 9y ago
For anyone that doesn’t remember websites (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631565 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631565), this is one of them.
- agumonkey 9y ago
  related, https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/6xe8lc/photographic_memorabilia/ https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/6xe8lc/photogr... (direct link http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/ http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/)
spraak 9y ago
It'd be great to find out more of the cannabinoid profile of older cannabis. Recent times have shown such a focus on THC, and then finally an interest in CBD. I have a friend who finds CBD incredibly beneficial and calming of their symptoms, but really dislikes and cannot take THC as it aggrevates psychotic episodes for them.
- ryan42 9y ago
  If samples were around and we measured them, I would guess it would have a lower amount of both CBD and THC compared to today's 'standards'. There are no standards with cannabis though. It's one name for a multitude of species and strains which are aggressively bred and hybridized with many family trees. Now with our modern understanding of the plant, CBD high and THC low species, and THC high and CBD low (more prominent) are bred, along with everything in between.
rmetzler 9y ago
This site inspired me to make my own medicine for common cold. It's more or less a green dragon tincture with Rum. I like to think that it really helps me, because it puts me to sleep, raises the body temperature and I drink more water. I also recognized that it helps my digestion. If you know the Bristol Stool scale, my score is perfect the days after I used my medicine.
- itomato 9y ago
  I've been using coconut oil or butter infused with (mostly CBD) ABV cannabis. There is no better cold relief in my opinion than a spoonful of this and a steady supply of freshly-squeezed organic lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Restful sleep, relief from body ache, improved appetite for Phase II; chicken soup.
ShabbosGoy 9y ago
Cannabis is truly a wonderful and amazing plant. There are many strains that can cure both bodily and mental ailments. Moderation is important, as heavy use of phytocannabinoids will downregulate your body's production of endocannabinoids. Anecdotally, C. Indica dominant hybrids (Gorilla Glue #4[0] is my favorite) put me in a trance that allows me to focus on a coding task for hours. The only side effect is that my eyes are half-closed. The increase in mental acuity is on par with substituted phenethylamines or eugeroics. The usual disclaimers apply: IANAD, don't listen to Internet strangers for medical advice, etc. [0] https://www.leafly.com/hybrid/gorilla-glue-4 https://www.leafly.com/hybrid/gorilla-glue-4
- dmschulman 9y ago
  "Cure" is a strong word with little medical science backing up the claim, but "treat" is completely different notion and cannabis is a wonderful drug with very few side effects for treating a variety of conditions, both physical and mental.

102 points by wilsonfiifi 9y ago

I remember when I was much younger, when I would hear or read something about how cannabis has been used by humans for a very long time, I thought that it was like a kind of "conspiracy theory."

cies 9y ago
See India. https://www.google.nl/search?q=sadhu+chillum&num=100&source=lnms&tbm=isch https://www.google.nl/search?q=sadhu+chillum&num=100&source=... That's some old culture in those images, but how old exactly is hard to say for me. I'm no historian, but 1000s might well be true.
- saiya-jin 9y ago
  It is true... it is even part of their religion. Shiva is one of main gods, and what does whole India do on Shiva's day to celebrate him? Getting high on bhang, basically lassi with cannabis mixed in. They only outlawed it because of UN, which was strongarmed into this by US (and why US? well Nixon didn't like hippies and mexicans) you can see it growing in whole himalaya wild, some places more (ie Manali/Malana) in Himachal Pradesh)
- 13of40 9y ago
  https://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2008/11/27/2700yearold_marijuana_found_in_chinese_tomb.html https://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2008/11/27/2700ye... Don't know if this is the latest news, but they dated this two pound bundle of weed to 2700 years ago.
  - cies 9y ago
    Wow 2 pounds can get you in serious trouble nowadays, pretty much all over the world. Death penalties and all.
    - 13of40 9y ago
      Apparently they had to get special permission to move it from China to the UK for study.
      - cies 9y ago
        Pppplease... We promise we will not consume it. :)
Lambdanaut 9y ago
There's Cannabis, Peyote, San Pedro, Ayahuasca, Psilocybin containing mushrooms, Muscarin containing mushrooms, syrian rue, sinicuichi, morning glory, datura, mandrake, nicotiana Rustica, yopo, cebil... Brother I am only tapping the outer layer of the historical use of entheogenic plants and fungi that have been in tribal use for spiritual ceremonies for thousands of years. This is not to mention any NON-entheogenic plants.
widyowid 9y ago
It's also used as one of the spices in Aceh, Indonesia: "On the other hand, besides the various kinds of ingredients used to make the food, there is also some unusual ingredients involved in the making of the dishes, and i am very interested about that issue. You will be surprised if i tell you that Marijuana has been used as food ingredients. Yes, it is proven that marijuana is known to be one of the food ingredients in Aceh city, Sumatra island, Indonesia. Usage of marijuana and another kinds of drugs are strongly banned in indonesia. Drug trafficker will face a death sentence if caught by the police. However, using it as food ingredients is tolerable. Even the vice president, Jusuf Kalla legalized the usage of marijuana as a seasoning. The reasons that support this approval are the fact that the marijuana is being used only just to give local distinct flavor of Acehnese dishes. In addition, marijuana has been a spice that becomes a part of Acehnese cooking method. It is a part of a local tradition. One owner of the Acehnese restaurant in Jakarta was asked by a newspaper reporter, and she said, "Marijuana is available in any Acehnese kitchen just like coriander"."Marijuana is a widely-accepted cooking spice there". Most restaurants in Aceh use some pieces of marijuana leaves as a seasoning to cook rice, soups, as well as some entrees. Some examples of dishes that cooked with marijuana are, lamb curry, noodle soup, beef curry, etc. Local residents said that the dishes cooked with marijuana leaves will smell and taste better it will also give local distinct flavor. Many people said that food seasoned with Marijuana in Aceh is somewhat very delicious and addictive." [0] [0]: http://nutritionfortheworld.wikifoundry.com/page/The+usage+of+Marijuana+as+food+ingredients http://nutritionfortheworld.wikifoundry.com/page/The+usage+o...
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
panzagl 9y ago
And I remember reading how you used to be able to beat your wife with a stick no bigger than your thumb. Doesn't mean anything about today.
- mbrock 9y ago
  Out of curiosity, what do you imagine that my comment meant to say about today?
  - panzagl 9y ago
    Just the usual 'people used to do it, so it's ok'. Maybe I read too much into it.
    - mbrock 9y ago
      Yeah, I wasn't trying to say that, which is why I didn't say it! I do think a truth-based approach to drugs should be a part of general education, and that the current older generation has failed embarrassingly and awfully in its drug policies.
- _jal 9y ago
  ...Because consuming plant matter is just like domestic violence?
  - cjjuice 9y ago
    unrelated side note... I think this is a great example of how much we use loaded language in rhetoric. you turned "cannabis" to "plant matter" and "beat your wife with a stick no bigger than your thumb" to "domestic violence". It's also amazing that this rhetorical technique is only useful to a modern audience that has been conditioned to associate certain feelings to the words. Not disagreeing with your point, just thought it was interesting.
    - _jal 9y ago
      Pretty sure manipulation with loaded language is not unique to modern discourse. There seems to be an assumption that folks who predate modern tech were somehow unsophisticated or innocent. Not so - if anyone finds modern political antics entertaining, I highly recommend them Roman history. While spotting rhetorical techniques, I'd throw out that my synonym-choice is more something that I've been trying to train myself out of - I tend to unconsciously take a step 'up' in generality when rephrasing elements of others' arguments, and it isn't a great habit. Sometimes it can be useful, but oftentimes muddies the waters. Been trying to retrain myself, obviously with mixed results.

delbel 9y ago

http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap5/Prices.htm http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap5/Prices.htm 1 pound bulk went from about $2 in the 1910's to $10 in 1920s back to $2 in 1930s. Adjusted for inflation and the chart data for years ending in 7's that's $34.49 in 1937, $136 in 1927, and $72 in 1917 per pound. Right now if you are a licensed producer you can sell bulk marijuana for processing for about $100 trim, $200-250 flower, in Oregon. So it sounds about right. It sells for $15 a gram retail, which is an incredible markup ($15 * 454g/pound = $6810 per pound) but the processors only get between 5-15% THC/CBD extraction yield per bulk pound, and for whatever reasons the retailers sell it at 100% markup.

jacobush 9y ago
Isn't 100% markup pretty common for retail in general?
- sv123 9y ago
  Yes
- 09bjb 9y ago
  Yes. There's no other way to get it legally.
  - blacksmith_tb 9y ago
    In Oregon at least you can grow up to four plants for personal use [1], I assume Washington and Colorado have similar provisions. 1: http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/marijuana/Pages/FAQs-Personal-Use.aspx http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/marijuana/Pages/FAQs-Personal-Use...
    - mikestew 9y ago
      You would assume wrong about WA, much to my chagrin. I think CO allows it, though.

8ig8 9y ago

For anyone that doesn’t remember websites (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631565 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631565), this is one of them.

agumonkey 9y ago
related, https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/6xe8lc/photographic_memorabilia/ https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/6xe8lc/photogr... (direct link http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/ http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/)

spraak 9y ago

It'd be great to find out more of the cannabinoid profile of older cannabis. Recent times have shown such a focus on THC, and then finally an interest in CBD. I have a friend who finds CBD incredibly beneficial and calming of their symptoms, but really dislikes and cannot take THC as it aggrevates psychotic episodes for them.

ryan42 9y ago
If samples were around and we measured them, I would guess it would have a lower amount of both CBD and THC compared to today's 'standards'. There are no standards with cannabis though. It's one name for a multitude of species and strains which are aggressively bred and hybridized with many family trees. Now with our modern understanding of the plant, CBD high and THC low species, and THC high and CBD low (more prominent) are bred, along with everything in between.

rmetzler 9y ago

This site inspired me to make my own medicine for common cold. It's more or less a green dragon tincture with Rum. I like to think that it really helps me, because it puts me to sleep, raises the body temperature and I drink more water. I also recognized that it helps my digestion. If you know the Bristol Stool scale, my score is perfect the days after I used my medicine.

itomato 9y ago
I've been using coconut oil or butter infused with (mostly CBD) ABV cannabis. There is no better cold relief in my opinion than a spoonful of this and a steady supply of freshly-squeezed organic lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Restful sleep, relief from body ache, improved appetite for Phase II; chicken soup.

ShabbosGoy 9y ago

Cannabis is truly a wonderful and amazing plant. There are many strains that can cure both bodily and mental ailments. Moderation is important, as heavy use of phytocannabinoids will downregulate your body's production of endocannabinoids. Anecdotally, C. Indica dominant hybrids (Gorilla Glue #4[0] is my favorite) put me in a trance that allows me to focus on a coding task for hours. The only side effect is that my eyes are half-closed. The increase in mental acuity is on par with substituted phenethylamines or eugeroics. The usual disclaimers apply: IANAD, don't listen to Internet strangers for medical advice, etc. [0] https://www.leafly.com/hybrid/gorilla-glue-4 https://www.leafly.com/hybrid/gorilla-glue-4

dmschulman 9y ago
"Cure" is a strong word with little medical science backing up the claim, but "treat" is completely different notion and cannabis is a wonderful drug with very few side effects for treating a variety of conditions, both physical and mental.