Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0233.005 2000-2002 i,, f • k. _ _ _ ~ `Contrary to popular perception, "marijuana" is not a phenomenon rooted in the 1960x. <<' Cannabis hemp is part o f our global heritage and was the backbone o f our most stable ~ ~ . ' and longest surviving cultures. Recent psycho-pharmacological studies have discovered that THC has its ov+rn unique receptor sites in the- brain, indicating man and marijuana have apre-cultural relation- , ship indeed, human culture could very well prove to be the 6lossorn o f our symbiosis with cannabis. {fee ~dppendix) 4,s { ~ ~ 't. ~~;~°T"'~ ~~®rf 1~ Italian: canep, Albanian; hortopli, Russian; konopi and ~ Thefollou~rnr i,~d~~ri~~~~d f'r~~m ~hr I~~t:~ I',SD.•a_1~;~~r<<ilrrrr~~ penek, Polish; kenip,_B~lgian; hanf, German; lxennup, YearbooJ,~ ,~er~i~», hr,r~~~ ~.r~~n~r 1~~ u ~ h. °~~t.3 ?57.3; Dutch; Kamp, Swedish;hampa, Danish; tai-rrta, dal-ma ~ and tse-ma, Chinese; asa and taima, Japanese; n.asha, he name `hemp," from the 01d English "hanf," came Turkish; kana.bira, Syrian; kannab, Arabic. into use in A1iddle FngiiSh by 1000 A.D. and '-~~Ilbelongs primarily to cannabis sati~~a. It ~ also used to designate the long fiber rained from that plant: thc~ earli- best-known and, until recent- ncient and modern historians, ~ °s, the most ~~•idc~lr u~f~d tc~~tile ..archaeologists, anthropolo- ~~her on Earth . gists, and philologists cite physi- It has long been regru-ded cal evidence (artifacts, relics, ~m ` the standard among long textiles, cuneiform, languages, €i~ers.As such, its name has etc.) indicating that cannabis f < <ame to be used as a goner- ~ ~ is one of mankind's oldest cul- tiva d crops The weaving • ' term for all long fiber. to of ° ~ . -Whereas Indian hemp or ~ ~ ~ hemp fiber as an industry' true hemp denotes cannabis began 10,000 years ago, at =hemp. No«• commodity ma, approximately the same time bets list names like "1\Iancla as pottery-making and prior to ' ?hemp," abaca; "sisal hemp." sisal <~f { ~ x~ ~f metal working.* 1 f 1~ gild henequen; "Maurit~u~ Temp, ~ `Columbia History n the ti~borld, Fear er & for Furcraea fiber; "Ne~~• Zealand ~ ~ Row,Neti.-York, 1981. hemp," phormium: "Bunn hemp." ~ By the 27th Century B.C., the Chinese Crotalaria; and "India hemp," lbr •jute. All cultivated "Ma" (cannabis hemp) for fiber, +.hese plants are unlike true hemp in appearance and medicine and herbal use. 3,700 years later (circa 1000 < in economic properties. Curirnisly, the name hump is A.D.t, China called cannabis "Tai-Ma," or "great hemp," never applied to flax, «•hich is more nearly like hemp todifferent.iateitfromtheminorfiberplants,whichwere ~.~n any other commercial fiber. now grouped und;~r the ge~~`~`i^ ~Fib~~}~ rei•i,~. ,::~a."Their ~TUehemp is knrn~-n in diil'erent laugtuiges by the fbl- pictogram for true or great hemp i _ a large"Than.;" indi- names: ca7rnal~i.ti, Latin; c~lrai7~~rc~, French; eating the strong TMelationshil:tset~~ ~~~n. man and hemp. '~~„~:y `~'.nls]]: rrnthrrn]r~, lortuguese: tY~l7a]X~, iFhcnNunglharmarnpoc~a;lonl-s~~<.~_.ixy.lt.,i~srsi~rccfassicc:etal.~ , Fr°®~ ®t least the 27th C~rattary ~3.C. until this cenntury, c®nn®dais ~,r®s inc®rp®r~ted int® vi~'ttuaddy add eudtue'es ®f the 1V6iddd~ fast, Asia /4~4in®r, India, China, Japan, fur®pe and ,~friea. X300 o~~ ~ o~~; ent times. But hemp has also played a direct role in law enforcement. omadic tribes, probably from central Asia and For example: The most serious punishment/relaabilita-'< Fersia (Iran and Iraq), referred to in legend as tion meted out in man African tribes for ca ital crimes "Aryans," invaded and overran virtually the entire y p Mediterranean and Middle East and spread out over was forcing the transgressor to smoke or consume mas~'' the Caucasus and west into Europe. sive amounts of dagga (cannabis) non-stop for hours on,! end in a small, enclosed but until he passes ouli-liter~'!> In the course of these movements and invasions the ally unconscious from inhaling the fumes. The equiva- nomads introduced cannabis and its various uses north lent of a year or two's supply for a heavy American and west through Greece, Europe, the Middle East, to smoker is consumed in just an hour or so. Does it word? Egypt and Africa, as-well as south and east over the African users say the rate of repeat criminal ofi`enses Iiimalayas to India. after dagga treatment is virtually non-existent. Hemp was incorporated into the cultures of the Middle European and American cultures used hemp t~: East and India for its vast food, oil, fiber, medicinal and enforce their laws in a more terminal form of capita!:: drug uses. Not only was hemp a staple of everyday life; punishment: the hangman's noose* of hempen rope. hemp medicines and drugs were a ritual link to the gods.* *°Merry boys are we/As e're did sing/ In a hempen string/ Undei:`~ *Generally, those who grew and/or used hemp for everyday Indus- the gallows tree." John Fletcher Rollo, Duke of Normandy; Act III:; trial uses did not know and were not taught (by religious sc. 3; 1639. "We're bound to stop this business, or hang you to law/threat/taboo) that their priest/shaman/witch doctor/etc. used man/ For we've hemp and hand enough in town to hang the whop:. different extractions from different parts of the exact same plant for damn clan." From a horse thief's tombstone in Rapf d City, SD sacrament, medicine, unguent, and as a commune with the gods. 1877: Shushan, E.R.; Grave Matters; Ballantine Books, NY, 199(3; Also see Hemp for Victory, USDA film; 1942. annabis was undoubtedly used by the Scythians ~8~~~ cfor many reasons. For example, the ancient he secret art of hemp medicine was found effecti Scythians grew hemp and harvested it with a hand as wound healer, muscle relaxant, pain relieve: reaper that we still call a scythe. Cannabis inhala- fever reducer and unparalleled aid to childbirth, nat tion by the Scythians in funeral rituals was record- mention hundreds of other medicinal applications ed by the Greek historian Herodotus in the early (Mikuriya, Tod H., M.D., Marijuana: Medical Papers, 1839 197x: 5th Century B.C. The nomadic Scythians intro- Medi-Comp Press, Oakland, CA, 1973; Shultes, R.E., Harva~~ duced the Custom to other races such a5 the Botanical; Ency. Brittanica; Abel, Ernest, Marijuana: The Fir ThracianS. 12,000 Years;. Plenum Press, 1980; Vera Rubin, Cannabis ar€d' (Emboden, W.A., Jr., Flesh of the Gods, Praeger Press, NY, 1974.) Culture, Institute for the Study of Man, 1968-1974 and secoii~ ~ studies 1974-1976; et. al.l 'j"~~~ ~ ~~~~~~~°t°~~ The division of information about this sacred here and its industrial hemp uses were strictly maim >:~'~€t rom at least the 27th Century B.C. up until this tained by the priests for thousands of years, ~ ~ ~ century, cannabis was incorporated into virtual- until the last few centuries. Those outside tli:. 1 all the cultures of the Middle East, Asia Minor, ha y priestly class who possessed drug knowledge we ~ : India; China, Japan, Europe, and Africa for its considered (by the priests, of course) to be wite~` superior fiber, medicines, oils, food and for its med- es/soothsayers/outlaws and the ilk, and were oft itative, euphoric, and relaxational uses. condemned to death. ....v.. a: hemp was one of our ancestors' most important over- all industries, along with toolmaking, animal hus- ~ ~ ~~1"' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ® ~ ~ .r~. bandry and farming. annabis legend and consumption are fundamen ~ ~ V aspects of many of the world's great rehgio ~ ` For example: he hemp plant has had a curious relationship with I~l;~a the world's legal codes throughout the ages. As SIIIIVTOIS141 (Japan)-Cannabis was used for t" < noted before, it has been illegal to grow hemp at differ- binding together of married couples, to drive away e-; ~..:~,~,d 70 _ _ _ • j ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ # < Yp_ 4 _ ~ 'Y n: ~ o ! . S Y ~ f .Y • ~ ..2 # ~c . f ~ , ~ C~ x . . i ~S . . er . - ~ [I, _ { ~ .d:~• r D, ~ { . , ~ ; > r i ` s~ ; tx . . ~ ~ :e _ to 7=wo New Delhi Sikhs grind a traditional hemp concoetion into o beverage ~ which is drunk during the Indian "1-dolt" festivities. rd "St id .,d spirits. and thought 1„ ~~r~~ai~~ I,ni~~h(~~r ,uid ~~ears prior to announcing idi<covering) his truths and happiness in nr,u•ria,~~~~. beaiming the Buddha ~T'our Noble Truths, the ~'b ~ dNDL-TS:11 ~indi~l~-Th~~ li~,~{ til~i~~,i i~ ;,yid "in h;i~~~ 1~i~rht(i~ld Pith). n- brought cannabis i'rom th~~ Himnl;n~n: 1~,r human c~njo~- t~egarding the ZOROASTRIANS or Mat,~i ~F'ersia, ip mcnt and enlightenment." "['h~~ ~adhu 1'rierts tra~~el circa 8th to 7t.h Centuries B.C. to 3rd to 4th Centuries ~.~e throughout India and the ~corld shnrin:,~ ",~hillum° pipes ~1.U.~, it is ~~-idel~- helie~-ed by tnanv Christian scholars, re filled «-ith cannabis. sonu~timi~~ hli~n,lt~rl ~~i~h n~her ,~nh- comnu~ntators, etc., that the three "Magi" or Wise Men stances. hi th~~ hlrrr~~rn~arl.t~il~~. l~rishn.i ;f,il~~~. "I ant th~~ ~~~hn attended t-hc~ birth of'Christ ~~•c~re cult references to 'n healing herb" ~('li.~):1C~~, ,~~hil~~ 1h,~ l~hu~~rn~cri/~i~runc, the 7oroastrians. The Zoroastrian religion was based Fifth Cantud~~scrihes hashish in ~~~pli~~itl~ scsu<<1 tc~rn~s. gat least on the surfaces on the entire cannabis plant, ~IDDHISiIf ~Tihet. India and ('hina~ -from the :itl~ the chief'rc~ligious sacranu~nt of its Priest, class, and its Certurc P.('. ~,n rituall~~ used ~~nnn:~hi~; initiation "~„st important medicine, ie.g., obstetrics, incense rites, al rites and nn~stical esperi~~nces ~c~~r~~ ~ar,~ i common in anointing and christening oils). as well as lighting or many Chine=e Puddhist ~,_'ct<. ~„nu~ Tih,~ian I3ud_ fire ails in their secular world. The word "magic" is gen- eS' erall}~ considered deri~~ed from the 7,oroastrians- dhists and lanr~s ~ priests i consider camu~bis their most 'hol3~ plant. 11ai1_~ Buddhist tradilinns. ~~~ritings. and .,~t`~~,.i.~. tie beliefs in~licat~~ that °~i~lclhnrlh,i'~ ~ih~~ I~ud~lhai him- The F,SSF,NES (ancient Israeli sect of extreme ail sel£used anal ;~t~~ ~,~,+hin~~~ ~n~t h,~n~~~ ,ui~l its ~~~r~ds {~,r six Hehre«-ites, approx. 200 R.C. to !3 [1.1). ~-nserl hemp 71 i,, i <i ; t ~I.~yl mediciuall as did the f> "~~3~~~~"!~ 'F ~~~~x~~~v~rEA ~I~~RYpt~' M1~~" ~ ~s b from whom we get the term ~ ~ "therapeutic.' Both are be sited States guy°eru- ~ ~z lieved by some scholars to be ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ • ~ ~ ~ ~ 4~.. ~ mast -funded studies i disciples of, or in a brother ~ at St. Louis Univei•sit I --i6ut, hood with, the priests/mag7 ~ Itledical School in 1989 and ' ~~'su cians of the Zoroastrians. ~ , , . the U. S. Goy ei nment's Nat- ~ ~-pr EAI~LTr' JEWS As part of ~ ~ tonal Institute of l~lental ~ t~chi . their holy Friday night ser- Hcalth in 1990 moved fd•th vices in the Temple of cannabis research into a ~ ~~ar Solomon, 60-80,000 men rit- new realm by confirming ; e-dun ually passed around and that the human brain has tirrg' in inhaled 20,000 incense burn- receptor sites for THC and Ban ers filled with kanabosom its natural cannabis couains ~ pl~;~siol (cannabis 1, before returning to which no other tom- home for the far rest meal of, a.m~st st 6 pounds known thug far will F to nog the week (munchies?~. ~ ~ bind. ,us~.:.lo SUFIS OF ISLA142 Mid- In order for ~i chemical to dle East)-Moslem "myst- ~ affect the brain it must bind ~ ical" priests who have taught, ! to a receptor site capable of : he used and eXtolled cannabis receiving it. ~ peon for divine revelation, insight Persian, iU~~~i~i, .-lugw[ 195J; (1ii.Jm~~l~~it f'~al and oneness with Allah, far at Erar~pea si. is~x~: ~~c~,idie least the last 1,000 years `;,v Central. Many Moslem and world ~ ~ Although morphine tits the dis~yeri scholars believe the mysti- ~ ~ receptor sitea of beta-ender- '~h?re ~ cism of the Sufi Priests was "The Sacred Sm®!ce" phis roughly, and amply varies, f~ o strians th who f survZo d A pygmy ingesting "dagga" (marijuana smoke) toadopanm e the~e~~d~•ugs easy ~neo Moslem conquests of• the 7th well as tricyclics and other'!- iabis and 8th Centuries A.ll. and subsequent com~ersi~m m~xxl-~dtcring chugs present g~•ave danger to the subtle' when coy (change your religion and give up liquor or be beheaded bahn~ce of the nen•ea ~~ittil ffcuds. Onmi quid the 11'ash- antes (cot in~;ton Punt cited no ph~~sical d~uigers in natural cam7abis. in these s COi{''T'IC Cl`IRISTIAN iEgypt /I:thiopiai-~on~c~ peeted u sects believe the sacred "green herb of'the field" iu the t>~i~' re~isun cannabis is su sale to use is that it does Bible ("i will raise up for them a plant of renolvn, and i,ut affect any of the in~•oluntary muscles of breathing : nays into they shall be no more consumed ~o~itli hunger in the and life support. Rather, ii affects its own specific recap- atid,_s°m' land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any nun•E,° tar cites for motion ~mo~~emeitt strategy and memory:=~' LT~ders Ezekiel 34:291 and the Biblical secret incenses. s~~~eet lil~untal stiategiesl. shet~z~ati~ incenses and anointing oils to be cannabis. Un the molecular Icy e1,'1'HC tits into receptor sites in desir-~ble ~ the u > >er brain that seem to be uni eel deli red ta' tnbe•"fie` The BANTUS ~Afr•ical-hod secret llat;~;a Cults."` ~ E q 5' ~ societies which restricted cannabis use to the ruling accommodate THC. This points to an ancient symbiosis ' FI~L.dmg men.'Irhe Pygmies, Zulus and Hottentots all found it an between the plant and people. eratitans • indis ~ensable medication for treat e pile ~sy and induced ~ I f I I I'crhaps these iieuronul path~~•ays ~u•e the product of scant po gout, and as a re.lig7ous sacranieilt. a precultural relationship between man and cannabis. Carl Sagan proposed evidence using the Bushmen of Thus, tI "These• "Da~gn" cults bclie~~ed flul~~ (',ui~ioV~i> l~ruur,hl tai ~llaPded Earth b}° the God,, in particular front Lhe "'1\au 1)u~, 5Gn" zJ'~tcul Afl'1L'21 t0 5110\t' helup to have been the fu'st plant CllI•- that we call Sirius A and'B. "Da~;~~~a" literalh~ means "cann,ilii,.•• tlvated by mall datnlg to when he Was a l]untel"-gath~;' encoded 1 Interestingly. Lhe sure°iving Indo-European ~+~urd for the pl;url ~•an , ~ - ~laIIts W] also be read aa'banna," "reed" and "b~.° "tau," a, ~+~eli us "c,uuni,,. a, ever. Some scientists assume that these receptor site. did not evolve for the purpose of getting high: "There:>'''' hurrran or in canine; and "bis;'meauing two Il~i~ "'P"~u Uu;;;.° 1V~usearia must hc~ solve kind oI' neuronal path~~~ay in the brair The IZASTfIFARI~11`JS IJ~~iu,~ica rind else~eher~~~ ~~rc a that developed, whether there were cannabis plants:- fio'~e~ep contemporary religious sect that uses "gauja•' as its or nut," speculated mystified St. Louis Universtt~. atad rhedi~ sacred sacrament to communicate with God l~7ah i. pharmacology professor Allyn Howlett in 1989. tions'from 72 _ i',, .'f bout 95% of the people were not allowed to learn Latin, the language o f the bible, which effectively allowed those few priests who could read to interpret the scriptures as they pleased. a~~~~ taz . maybe not. In his book Int~~.rrccrtirn~: Lrje in tribes). This also prevented the dangerous "sin" of acci- 39' ~~;uitofArtifcial Parndi,~e, Dr. Ronald K. Siegel, psy- dental ingestion, concoction, or experimentation by 'g ;;;}pharmacologist at UCLA, indicates the motivation the children of the tribe; nor could captured tribal mem- Ieri ~ ~:lpieve altered states of consciousness or moods is a hers give up this sacred knowledge to their enemies. ;~~I: drive akin to hunger, thirst and sex. And These "old-time" drug and out-of--body religions and ntra<{ ans aren't the only ones to get high. Siegel record- rituals, dating back to pre-history, were called ~~'~umerous observations of~animals intentionally get- "Oriental Mystery Religions" by the Romans from the n ;intoxicated during his experiments. Caesars' time on. ~~annabis hemp is part of'our cultural, spiritual and pns~.~~. ~`.;~siological heritage, and was the backbone of our co„~. tstable and long-surviving cultures. So• if you want emp was a major industry in biblical times. As in `r ~~know or see the long-term effects of marijuana other cultures throughout the TM~Iidd}e East, the ~~s...look in the mirror! Hebrew tradition of mysticism (e.g., Cabalal was aware of, and entwined with, regional sects using natural b• intoxicants in their rituals. As usual, they hid this ble d~ '.~lhe dawn or basis of relitrious bolie(~ in all races and knowledge behind rituals, symbols and secret codes to peoples-Japanese, Chinese. Indian, Egyptian, protect natural sacraments like "sacred mushrooms" €~tsian, Babylonian, Greek, Doric, Germanic and other and mind-elevating herbs, including cannabis. %n :opean tribes, as well as African and North, South and Allc~,*ro. d.A~i.; Suc,~ed Mtt.~hrur>,~, & the Cross, Doubleday Co., 1970. .~~ntralAmerican tribes-arose as a result of accidental - s th >~scoveries. - _ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ndo~~ ? 'lerewere near-death experiences, deprivations-stay- - _ ~np~a ~>~~31aon, fasting, breath control. thirst. fever-and tuicon- _ finding the encoded ref- ~oselg~~`~> <'~<.lled revelry due to accidental fcrmt~ni~ltiou or extrac- ~ erences to cannabis and s as; ~~~n of wine, beer, psilocybe and Amanita mushrooms. ~ other drugs is made more dif- other : '>.~nnabis wine (bhang) al~d other psychoactives which, ~ -cos-~ 8~~~ ficult by the lack of botanical ubtls~ when consumed, induced inexplicable, elevated experi- names, discrepancy in trans- crsh- ';yes (compared to normal brutish experience. Chemicals - ~ ~ lations, use of different ~ ~~these sacred plants and herbs gave our ancestors unex- ~ ~ ~ "books" b different denomi- "~cted unprepared-for unbelievable visions and jour- ~ • y does ' nations, commentaries added to original texts, and period- `iing = Heys into the far corners ot~ incrc~dibie consciousness is priestly purges of material considered inappropriate. end, sometimes, into feelings of univers<~l brotherhood. cep-:~~~ However, we find that the use of cannabis is never for- pory ' ~ Understanding these drug-induced experiences and bidden or even discouraged in the Bible. Some passages medications eventually became the most wondrous' directly refer to the goodness of using herbs like canna- desirable and necessary spiritual knowledge for each his-and even o on to ledict inhibition. s in Abe. Healing! From which extraction`.' At what dose? g p p ~ to "And the Earth brought forth grass and herb-yield- ~sis ~ Holding this mystical tribal knowledge for future gen- er~tions was a priceless task. To know which plants ing seed after its kind and the tree yielding fruit, induced which experiences, at .chat levels and mixtures whose seed was in itself after its kind: and God saw t of npant power for the bearer of'such wisdom! that it was good." Genesis: Chapt. 1: Verse IZ tKrng big .Iamcs~4~'rsioiz of the Bible, unless ~rnted). c of ~ ~ Thus, this "sacred store" of knowledge was jealously _ warded by the herbal doctor/priest. rind cryptically "God makes the Earth yield healing herbs, which the ul ~ encoded in oral and written traditions and myths. Prudent man should not neglect." Struch: ,38:4 lCath- th olic Bible) Cog ~ Plants with psychoactive powers were imbued with ,re btzman or animal attributes, for example, the Amanita "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a ~Iuscaria mushroom ~•irt~ ~~•as represented by faeries, man; That which cometh out of the mouth defileth a pin tts To keep their political power. the priests, witch doctors man." Jesus, quoted: Matt. 15:11. ity and medicine men deliberately withheld these tradi- "In later times, some shall...speak lies in hypo- tions from the "common'' tribal nu~mhE~r~ rand all other cri5v...commanding to abstain from that which God 73 l' fi hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them become their bosses. Starting in the 4th, 5th and 6th: which believe and know the truth." Paul: 1 Tim. 4:1 Centuries A.D., pagan religions and all the different; ~~I~~'~~~~ Christian sects, belief systems, knowledge, gospels, etc., such as the Essenes, Gnostics and Merovingians: istorians, early artworks, Bibles, manuscripts, (Franks), were either incorporated into or edited out of Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnostic Gospels, letters from official doctrine and hierarchy. f early church fathers, etc., indicate that for the first 300- Finally, in a series of councils, all contrary dogmas p 400 ears A.D. man earl Christian sects were entle y ~ y y g (e.g., that the, Earth was round, and the sun and stars:: and loving. They were usually open, tolerant and were more than five to 17 miles away) were summarily; unstructured: a poor man's or slave's religion. outlawed and driven underground during the Dark:' r~ ` Rome considered Christianity to be simply another Ages, 400 -1000+ A.D. '''ag bothersome Oriental Mystery cult, like those of Mithra By the early Middle Ages, at the beginning of the 11th ` ~ ~ or Isis, then the most popular in the Empire. Century A.D., virtually all powers were placed in the:: hands of the Church and Pope; first by Germanic con- ~ . querors, and later by Spanish and French kings and.: r€.; . aced with a crumbling empire, political corruption powerful Italian merchants and nobles (the Borgias, 1 and a series of ruinous wars with barbarians, the Medicis and other megalomaniacs), probably to protest;: i old Roman Empire hovered on the brink of disaster. their trade secrets, alliances and sources of wealth. •"`':f The religious contortions undertaken by the ruling All European people were forced to adhere to the; • • body in Rome to maintain its earthly power led the "Holy" Roman Empire policy: Zero tolerance by a fun-~ ~ political leaders to crack down on healthy diversity in damentalist church/police-state with blind faith in one,:: r r.~~, the field of individual. cults and religions. unquestioned version of how to worship God...and the:; t To save itself politically, the formerly pantheistic Pope's infallibility. ~ (meaning tolerant of different worships) government of political rulers aided and abetted the Church in this the empire changed its policy. fraud, as their power now rested only on their new:; a:~~'' Starting in 249 A.D., various emperors launched a Christian dogma, the patriarchal "Divine right" to rule.. string of bloody persecutions, which included the trou- They enacted laws with fantastically vicious punish- blesome Christians. By 306 A.D., it was clear that this ments for even the slightest infraction or heresy. in was not working. Emperor Constantine called off the Heretics were mercilessly sought out by fanatical, executions and began to patronize the Christian clergy, sadistic inquisitors using perverted forms of torture to which promptly adopted a dogma lifted from "Mith- extract confessions and as punishment. raism;" among other religions: "Royal Blood by Birth," 'Webster's Dictionary defines "Her-e-sy Sher"e se as 1: a religious or the "Divine Right to Rule Other Humans." belief that is opposed to church dogma. 2: any opinion Iin philoso-: The ambitious Constantine saw that while under- Phy, politics, etc. opposed to official or established views or doe- .:~$lE ground, the church had developed into an intolerant, trines..: the holding oe,~ny such befief or opinion. ~ 3 tightly-knit hierarchy; a well organized network second This system kept most of the Western world's inhabi- in infiuence only to his own. By combining church and tants in a state of constant terror, not only for their own f a; state, each was able to double its power and seek out physical safety and freedom, but also for their eternal ! ' >~®1 the crimes/sins of all its political rivals and enemies spirit, with "Hell" lurking mere inches below the sur- with the full support/blessing of the other. face far those excommunicated by the church. <s~.r Columbia History oFthe World, Harper & Row, Nl', 1981. ~~~I~'~~ ,...>.~'~~r Constantine soon converted to Christianity and declared one mandatory, monistic, state-empowered ~ he masses of people, "the commons," were kept in ~ religion: the Roman Catholic Church (R.C.Ch.); literal- check through a dual system of fear and enforced _ 1, ly, the Roman Universal Church ("catholic" is Latin for ignorance. All learning except the most rudimentary;:: "universal").This was now the absolute and oflcial reli- was controlled and strictly regulated by the priests. :~g~ gion of the empire. In one sweep, all secret societies The commons (about 95~7r of the people) were forbid- ~ were outlawed which might have threatened his (and den to learn to read or write-not even an alphabet- ~ ~E Rome's) mandate to rule the known world, as they had and often were punished or put to death for doing so. for the previous 400 consecutive years. The people were also forbidden to learn Latin, the lan- ~ -e guage of the Bible. This effectively enabled the few: priests who could read to interpret the scriptures any < fter running from the Roman Empire's police for way they pleased for about 1,200 years, until the Q almost 300 years, Christian Orthodox priests had Reformation in Europe, circa 1600. {.;<;~pa 74 _ <`~,araong the few Pegol rvtedical cures allawed the pea~le of 1Mestern Europe during the /6s0iddle Ages were blood letting ®nd wearing a bird ?nask filled with herbs to ward off pl®gue. rohibit knowledge, eople were literally kept i :a The ~ ~~::rk, without a piece of paper to write r rets. ,....i:.iiiii:.i:;::.:•;.;:.i:.;i:,:.;;:;.:::::.;:.;:.;;:.::.::~:::,.:: P ~as~eries reserved and guarded hemp s sec ?fSw:Lti:i,: ~ iii: ~ ii,'•i::isisi::::::i::i::isi'ri::i::i::i::i::i`.:i:~i'~Y :~'r':Yi'r::% • : n~ w hreats to this ohc saw that cannabis he d o p y , . <~hsolute control: a ermakin and lamp oil. f,,..:.; P P g ~f~>:::; ha o be done. n dt an.,thi g . <<' t- d lera e an to ram nt w' a ac i e as s br in n m ac pile e g r~;.'. w n u 1 ed i i io o t a In ust or the iu r and hard 1 i bee n q q ~ti' g ntu and 12th Ce in h abis ingestion in Spam t e ~anc•~ m the 13th. Man other natural remedies were ~•~>:f>':«<.>:.»>: ultaneously banned. Anyone using hemp to commu- ,ate, heal, etc. was labeled "witch." e 3~ ai~~t Joan of Arc, for example, was accused in 1430- of using a variety of herbal "witch" drugs, including ~unabis, to hear voices. r:~::; ;a; : - r ~ ~ ~4 Y•:'!. : f'?r$: S ~'~rtually the only legal medical cures allowed the - lg, people of Western Europe by the Roman Catholic spiritual sacrament; ~~urtih Fathers at this time were: •The Mass of the Travesty, which can be likened to (a.) Wearing a bird mask for plague (see picture) "the Simpsons," "In Living Color," rap music, Mel (b.) Setting fractured bones or cleaning burns. Brooks, "Second City-TV," "Monty Python," or "Satur- day Night Live" (Father Guido Sarducci-type group) Bleeding pints and even quarts of blood from all flu, '~r~onia or fever patients (victims) which was the doing irreverent, farcical or satirical take-offs on the ` ~t used treatment in Europe and America by doctors dogmas, doctrines, indulgences, and rituals of the R.C.Ch. mass and/or its absolute beliefs. 'rtil the beginning of the 1900s. It does not work! And ' ~ not work no matter how much blood they took. Because medieval priest bureaucrats thought they is Praying to specific saints for a miraculous cure, e.g., were sometimes laughed at, ridiculed and scorned by ::fit. Anthony for ergotism (poisoning), St. Odilla for those under their influence-often by the most learned ;:blindness, St. Benedict for poison sufferers, and St. monks, clerics and leading citizens-ingesting cannabis Vitus for comedians and epileptics. was proclaimed heretical and Satanic. ? Alcohol for a variety of problems. ~ ~ ~ 0 ~'T' ~ ~ ~ . 'fin 14$4, Pope Innocent VIII singled out cannabis espite this centuries-long attack by the most pow- jp ~:h~alers and other herbalists, proclaiming hemp an nd third t es of ~ erful political and religious force in Western civi- ::>holy sacrament of the second a YP lization, hemp cultivation continued in Northern ~S~tanic mass. This persecution lasted for more than Europe, Africa and Asia. While the church persecuted _ :lGG Fears. cannabis users in Europe, the Spanish Conquistadors Satanic knowledge and masses, according to the were busy planting hemp everywhere around the world '~>~dieval Church, came in three types: to provide sails, rope, oakum, clothes, etc. $To summon or worship Satan; &To have Witch's knowledge (e.g., herbalists or them- - s) of making, using or giving others any unguent or /~1he sadistic Ottoman Empire conquered Egypt :>pjeparation-including cannabis-as medicine or as a J,.~, and, in the 16th Century A.D., tried to outlaw 75 6 ~,Vlill: . - , ~ ~ fund f aomf "...the best hemp and the best tobacco grow on the same kind of soil. The former article ss of first ~Iaon 1 f ~'s~A 0 necessity to the cornenerce and marine, in other words to the wealth and protection o f the country. Ito ~ T'he latter, never useful and soavaetirnes pernicious, derives its estimation from caprice, and its value from the taxes to which it was forrraerly exposed." <~,bra s wif Bassi nth ' f tt f ~ - - - mer article is of first necessity to , -~'innalr ~ ~ the commerce and marine, in .dose ~r3~ ....t..i` s4:13 ,,f ~ 3. <; other words to the wealth and < e~tertc 'E3..aE i # I . #~a #3 r-` c; ~ rotection of the county Thy 3 ~ ~ ~ d~ r' ~t- ~ latter, never useful and some ~ ~ ~~ak P ~ times pernicious, derives ~ pir~nn h4 lnS ~ 3 ,s~< ~3; , x<3 # ~ < ~ estimation from caprice and YL~~ its value from the taxes to ~ s~~ l < i ~ : n<~> 5~~ ~ 3. > # Y 3~ ~ , ` which it was forz~erly e~ ~~;.~a v ~ is ~`~:l : 3E~' t~ ~ t r>; " posed. The preference t0 be ~ ` { . -r~:z~zcst SS ff ~ ~ given will result from a cam ~ <a3~;~ 3#S - 33 , ~<''~s f< i 35_ ~ a i S}.. s,, ' l"1 } ,3 3~. ; : parlson of them; I3emp em ~ s~lore 3;<.:~ . ht. ,S > tl, ploys in its rudest state more > ~E.~: 3~; ' labor than tobacco, but being a ~£'y3.#~':>>:, E#. 3`3 s;",sus, i 3E ~ r. ~>x>" E}€.la#:.n 3s~ "si:~ : } .3. : material for manufactures o3 r>> <3 ~fa# f<3" East>E3E..,E~`~<> S,i3.EE:` various sorts, becomes after ~k j wards the means of support tc ~ r} ,~#..~:{?Fs<E}~ ~r23 S" 3.33,,x. i..~3 Y:: 'L< k :#3s ~ ~~E3 }.E3:~:~335 t<,~, numbers of people, hence it is to be x preferred in a populous coup ry. l; } "~~E34s~#~ 13E. '.sc:: ;ssr~.fn#i~~ed rn the "America imports hemp and will continue t© .~sf air.. r ~ -~.€~3~> < ~.2.,., ; ~omp.and the do so, and also sundry articles made of hemp, such }E}r x.i>~ ...t~a~;: 3~3r~ ~;f ;oil:-,.The for- as cordage, sail cloth, drilling linen and stockings cannabis---because Egyptian hemp growers along the important to the empire builders who followed (in the= Nile were leading tax revolts. The Turks complained Age of Discovery/Reason, the 14th to 18th centuries) that cannabis use caused Egyptians to laugh and be that they were central to the intrigues and maneuver- disrespectful to their Sultan and his representatives. In ings of all the world's great powers. f` 1868, Egypt became the first modern(?) country to out- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ law cannabis ingestion, followed in 1910 by white South Africa to punish and stop the blacks practicing he 18th Century ushered in a new era of human`: their ancient Dagga cults and religions.thought and civilization. "Life, Liberty and the In Europe, hemp was widely used both industrially Pursuit of Happiness!" declared the colonists in i_ and medicinally, from the Black Sea (Crimean) to the America. "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!" replied their-: British Isles, especially in Eastern Europe. The papal French cousins. The concepts of modern constitutional: ban on cannabis medicines in the Holy Roman Empire government, which guaranteed human rights and sep- in 1484 was quite unenforceable north of the Alps, and aration of church and state, were unified into a police:: to this day the Romanians, Czechs, Hungarians and designed to protect citizens from intolerant and arbi-` Russians dominate world cannabis agronomy. trary laws. In his landmark essay, On Liberty, Ogden Livingston;: In Ireland, already world famous for its cannabis Mills, whose philosophy shaped our democracy, wrotei linen, the Irish woman who wanted to know whom she that "Human liberty comprises, first, the inward= would eventually marry was advised to seek revelation domain of consciousness in the most comprehensive: through cannabis. sense: liberty of thought and feeling, ...scientific, moral: Eventually, the hemp trades once again became so or theological, ...liberty of tastes and pursuits." `:::r., :<< 76 Mills as~ertt~cl that tlti~ fr~~t~~ltrn~ .,1' tltnu~;ht nr of rlacl: and .Jimncy Carters gun ('}iil, arlniit Itt h,i~'ing "mind•• is tht~ lr,t~i~ frn• ull 1'r~~t~dtnn;. (~r~ntlr~nr.tn I'armt•r ~nu~ked pot in the ~Vltite House. (3etn•gc~ l~usli•~ ~-ice fihomas •lefl'erson~s inunvrtal ~tord~. "1 h:n~e .~~~•orn President 1)an t~juayle~ had a reputation fiu- smoking st ~ upon the alt;u• nl' l,txl rt~~rnal hr,-,1i1i1~ against e~-t~r~~ ~n:css and wing drugs in college. Ronald and c~~•en firm of t~~r,tnn~~ m~er thr~ mind ..f Horn.' nre en~~ra~~ed liirmer First Lacy' Nanc}- '`•htst day No° Reagan are Y' into the marhlr~ r,l~lti~ llt~n~t~rinl in ~~'.t~liin~lun 1).('. reported to ha~~c smoked put in the California (,o~•ernor's mausinn. Abraham I.inrr,ln u~a~ ,in a~~rnced t~neni~ nf'prnhihition. "~nurkr Scrrrn: Innurtr ~ur:.ln~licr~ l1t°Ir,3rtmt~nl U~~~r (~ua~Ir-Nnt llis~~~ife way ~~re~t~riheri t~unu;tlii~ iitr ht~r net~e~ aftt~r• his ('~t~i~r-tilt." I)all;ts Oli.r r~r r. r~u~u<t ?a. 1SJ91). I~r~llr.~.. I~iltc. ,~~unr,~ 3~~sassinatinn. ~~irt~iall~ e~'rr~~ pr~~~idt•nt I~roni the mid- lira~,an: 77tr 1'nuulhnrr-rd 13ur~~rn/thi'. 1)rnthlrcla~ ~'n, ti'1-. 19511 ~ a9th C'enturc up until pr~tliiltititm roulinel~ used - _ - to cannabis medicines t~et~ t'hal~tt~r 1'_' 1')tli Ct~nttn~~~ n~ei. general FootnotesiBibliography: itl C10se aC(lualntance~ of •lnlln 1''. 1\t~nnf~(<<~. ~U('h ac Ilinrlu ~~rtlns: Shen ,`d'un); i'harmarnl~nria 1irrn~luht~; ~Ab~~l, J;rnest. lIld ~ llnr'r,itrrnta: Thr I7r:~~1 1?,f)OU }i~m:~:. 1'lrnuni I'rrR~, 19.30: Urad Sea entertainer 11nre~~ :~msterdani and 1?ddie (;nrdnn ~ ~a~~ -+he ticn~ll~: Ili:,=h '1'inu~~ i:n~~cln~mtli;t. i;ncyr~lr,lrat•rlia t~riL•tnnica, the president used cannahi~ re~rnLu•l~ to control his "1'h,u'tuncrtingiutl 1'nlt~:" Rnffmnn,il'1ari,~rttrncr and Jlt~dicltu°, 1982: ne- pack pain ~hel~re and Turin<~ hip Iernt~ and actu;lll~° (thin Stair Dl~~dicnl Sitcict~'. Is(,0; Brtti.5~h Inlrrut llr°ntp Rrlnn•t, 1tS ~ planned ell ~r'Erfl~U,ltlg ~~IIY,n'lln.ftl;l dlll'InE' 111 tiectlll(~ 1-~!1-1: ['n!arrlrirlt~r l-•('~~r\, 19~?: ~'.ti. .Ann v, f;d~r~~~rucl Ar~rn31, trid s",erm-a p~,ttl rtit =~lnrl h~~ 11i~ .t«,t~~ina)inn it] 1S)(i:i. l~lni.clnntl ~Cvlultiltlrs~; tihultr~. Ilarrvu~d nnlrrnicnl: GmBo«den, t0 t'(' \nrihridge; Alich.ul :Aldrich. i'h.l), ~'E~ra Rabin. In~tilutr f'or #Asre>lnrtrrl ~lir~ r~rl~, ire Ihi- ;i~itln~r I~'.~I~I~~~ (~-n~~lnn. r~~l:nu~~n~~l hnr thr~ Stnd~ ul ~ian:lCa.~am. R. Gnrdnn.,4(J,l1A. lhrinr 11u.~1unrttrt of ex- ~•r?ttnica~~ir7r,~-~~-~ii~.riln r~~f tli~ Il~~nn~~uir~it ~~nl ~I,~• nnn~l~~•r-~,nrhnr- 13e ~ '^,nnici~t in tln. ~ ,,~,I ,~~,~L~~~1 ~,~iili I~.,.~i~,.l~ ,rnl ~~,~rl~~rnit~~~ 1~>>nu~rhrlr7r. Hrrffrn~n..llrrr{ninny and ,lit~ditin~; rl~~mologist •Ia~• I.~~nn~.;~llt ~rt~..l ~I...~nrrrd 11tr~~Jtr~~nnt rtnrl tlti~ ("rrn~~. Uonblr~la~~ 8- tny_ numernu; tier i~~.r ('n . Is1;n, rat ?i.; `Hr,u I Ir~ntl•. nl,tit<tt~~ t ~t~t Elit;h.'~ 11r81r Titn~.~, ~1pri1, .m- Mole rerr:itl ~~tl'lll(,t~ F'~.,,.:~dr~Ill t ~i~r';l~d ~'rtrd ~ :<ttll lfl~al i<rt .Alrlirnrll~~' ore ~a of be A l0l®e~ern ~nqui~i~i~ to or cannabis-related kno«~ledge, or hundreds of other "sins"-owning a devil's tool tcl F ~ f'ork1, read- cch ing a sorcerer's book or speaking in tongues (foreign language), having a different ,.st I.; '.~avi.ng the ~ witch's habit (taking a bath or falling into a rived, etc.-from 10% to as many as:.~~1~ tpis> people r. # t~Testern Europe were tortured or put to death without. trial during the medieva! ~~an (~alholic ! Church's 500-year Inquisition i,12th to 17th centuries 1. the ~ While most. suffered, some profited handsomely. The Pope could declare anything "here~~~.;' and use it as cries) an excuse to legally rob, torture and kill his enemies or anyone else accused. For aver 30U ~%ears, 3i2tluisi- uver- tors divided up the property forfeited to them by suspected witches and heretics. Whoever rtQnoun.ced you got. 1/3 of your property, 1/3 ~~~ent to the government and 1/3 went to the Papal hierarchy. r "Be«•are the scribes which...devour widows' houses." Jesus, quoted: Ltcke 20:46 ~ This perverted prosecution-{~cr-profit model, used almost exactly in the same way toda~> l,y stag and tman ~ federal drug warrior°s-and just as self-righteously, was -given to us at the ins~G€~ncy> mot' president the Ronald Reagan in 1984 an(i yeas written for Congress by then Congressman. I~~n a.on~~~., 'a®w s in California Attorney General. In actuality, once the government seizes a propert~5°, mor~r>;<}t`3 ~ ore their raet~er returned by the courts. Everyone from informant, to the police and the prase utk~?' +~t3, ~haro in. Tonal ~ ~ the bounty of forfeited goods. ry,,y sep- ! In fact,while British common law is the basis for our modern tolicy legal system, fin•feiture lase relies on the medieval concept of arbi-, ' ~ ~ I~ the cursed object Deodand•' ifi•om thc, Latin `deo• god, and ~ "dand'~ give; meaning that any object causing human death ~ ston , was forfeited to the crown). This is the basis for American laws rote 1 of seizure and con f'iscalirtn of property, rather than penalties ~-ard only n~ainst persons. f ~ „ ; ~ h s{:>.• > 'lu., Isive Simple. People ha~•e guaranteed legal rights; property Loral does not! 7i