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THE HISTORY OF MARIJUANA Marijuana has a long history of use by humans for religious, medical, and recreational purposes. In the ancient civilizations of China and the Indus River Valley, the cannabis plant was cultivated as long as 12,000 years ago and used as part of religious rituals. The first written record of marijuana’s use for medicinal purposes dates to around 4000 bce in China. In India, the ancient people used cannabis to treat dysentery and other diseases. The drug was also thought to improve a user’s intellect.

Male cannabis plants are taller and thinner and have flower-like pods which contain the fertilizing, pollen-generating anthers. The female plant is darker and shorter and has short hairs protruding at the end of the bracteole pods.

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Contemporary Issues: Legalizing Marijuana