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13 CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IS MARIJUANA?

ate and made them promise they would not reveal the secret. Eventually, of course, the secret got out, and over time people pressed the resin into blocks of hashish. It eventually spread throughout Persia and North Africa. Marijuana eventually made its way into Europe. Germanic tribes cultivated the plant and took it with them to Britain and other areas. The Vikings in Scandinavia used cannabis as a pain reliever during childbirth and as a remedy for toothaches. The plant then gradually made its way to South America and into North America. Today, cannabis is grown in almost all types of climates. It flourishes in areas that have abundant sunshine and plenty of water. When dried, marijuana is usually green or brown. It often resembles the popular kitchen spice oregano. Pot, as marijuana is often called, can have a strong smell, or it can have none at all. However, when set ablaze, pot usually has a very specific smell, a bit like burning incense. The primary psychoactive ingredient in natural pot is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

An illustration of the cannabis plant from Historia Stirpium (1542) by Leonhart Fuchs, who is considered one of the fathers of botany.