Earliest evidence of cannabis smoking found in Asia
By Carl Samson
Ancient people in western China were the first to use cannabis for its psychoactive properties, according to research.
Key points:
- Evidence shows cannabis with higher levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was used in funeral rituals in western China 2,500 years ago.
- Researchers say the psychoactive use of marijuana likely spread across regions via the early Silk Road.
The details:
- The study, published in Science Advances in June 2019, found evidence of psychoactive cannabis use in incense burners excavated from 2,500-year-old tombs at the Jirzankal Cemetery, located in the Pamir Mountains of western China. The plants appeared to have been burned in an enclosed space, allowing mourners to inhale their fumes.
- Through a method called gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a team of international researchers identified high levels of cannabinol (CBN), the byproduct of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the plant’s most potent psychoactive component — in the burners’ residues. This means the plants had higher THC levels than typically found in wild cannabis at the time.
- The Pamirs, often referred to as the “Roof of the World,” served as a critical juncture along the ancient Silk Road, facilitating not only the exchange of goods but also cultural knowledge and practices. Co-author Robert Spengler, of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, said their study implies that cannabis smoking and “specific high-chemical-producing varieties” of the plant had spread through its exchange routes.
- Co-author Nicole Boivin, director at the institute at the time of publication, said their study supports the idea that the initial use of psychoactive cannabis took place in the mountainous regions of eastern Central Asia, spreading subsequently across continents. Meanwhile, co-author Yimin Yang, of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said their study reveals insights into early human cultural practices and natural plant awareness.
- A more recent study in 2021 found that cannabis was domesticated primarily as a “multipurpose crop” 12,000 years ago in East Asia, likely for fiber and medicinal purposes. Farmers then began growing the plant for its mind-altering properties 4,000 years ago, but the residues from the Pamir Mountains so far remain the earliest evidence of psychoactive use.
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