7 Cannabis Fun Facts

Did you know George Washington grew hemp in his very own backyard? According to NPR, George Washington believed hemp would become more profitable than tobacco, so he grew it on his farm. This means that for centuries, people have known and predicted the uses of cannabis.

Cannabis is an amazing plant with an array of benefits! It can relieve symptoms of anxiety, create a sense of euphoria, and improve rest. Cannabis contains over 113 compounds, called cannabinoids. Three of the most commonly found ones that you may have heard of are cannabidiol, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol, which you may have heard referred to as CBD, THC and Delta-8.

Interested in learning more about how cannabis can be used, where it originated, or how you can consume the plant (spoiler alert, you can eat it raw!)? Keep reading to find out!

1. Trace amounts of cannabis chemicals were found in pipes in Shakespeare’s backyard! Even so, it’s unclear if he partook in smoking cannabis or not. We like to think this was where his creativity came from.
2. Cannabis has been used for its healing properties for millennia, dating back to 2800 BC when Emperor Shen Nung, the father of Chinese medicine, listed it in his pharmacopeia. Indian Hindus, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans all wrote texts which cited cannabis use in treating many health issues such as depression, arthritis, and inflammation.
3. Ever wonder why the number “420” is synonymous with imbibing marijuana? Time Magazine has the answer for you! It dates back to 1971 in Marin County, California. A group of friends – Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich – would meet at 4:20 pm at their high school’s statue of Louis Pasteur and partake in smoking marijuana. They used the code “420” to describe marijuana or the act of smoking it. Reddix became a Grateful Dead roadie, which may have then led to the band popularizing the term.
4. Did you know you can eat cannabis raw? Even if you do, according to Healthline, it won’t make you high. Raw cannabis has to go through a process of being heated to activate cannabinoids like CBD, Delta-8 or Delta-9 THC. Otherwise, it’s just another leafy green to get your roughage.
5. Astoundingly, there are over 1,200 slang terms for cannabis! This is because as someone catches on to what one slang term means, then a new one has to be created, so it creates a never-ending cycle. A few fun ones include: airplane (because it gets you “high”), good giggles (because it makes you laugh), and asparagus (because it’s a green plant).
6. Even though cannabis remains federally classified as a Schedule 1 drug, indicating it has zero medical properties or applications, there is now an FDA (yes, that’s a federal regulatory body…) approved medication called Epidiolex which can treat epilepsy and is derived from cannabis. It’s been shown that this medication can prevent seizures without many of the other unwanted sedating side effects of other similar medications.
7. CBD is generally safe for dogs and can even be therapeutic for them. CBD can treat canine medical issues such as seizures and arthritis, just as it can with people.