Pubdate: Fri, 28 Nov 2008
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2008 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/info/letters/index.html
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Dean Beeby, Canadian Press
Cited: Phytochemical and Genetic Analyses of Ancient Cannabis From 
Central Asia http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/59/15/4171

OLDEST STASH OF MARIJUANA UNEARTHED IN ANCIENT TOMB

OTTAWA -- Researchers say they have located the world's oldest stash 
of marijuana, in a tomb in a remote part of China.

The cache of cannabis is about 2,700 years old and was clearly 
"cultivated for psychoactive purposes," rather than as fibre for 
clothing or as food, says a research paper in the Journal of 
Experimental Botany.

The 789 grams of dried cannabis was buried alongside a light-haired, 
blue-eyed Caucasian man, likely a shaman of the Gushi culture, near 
Turpan in northwestern China. The extremely dry conditions and 
alkaline soil acted as preservatives, allowing a team of scientists 
to carefully analyze the stash, which still looked green though it 
had lost its distinctive odour.

"To our knowledge, these investigations provide the oldest 
documentation of cannabis as a pharmacologically active agent," says 
the newly published paper, whose lead author was American neurologist 
Dr. Ethan B. Russo.

Remnants of cannabis have been found in ancient Egypt and other 
sites, and the substance has been referred to by authors such as the 
Greek historian Herodotus. But the tomb stash is the oldest so far 
that could be thoroughly tested for its properties.

The 18 researchers, most of them based in China, subjected the 
cannabis to a battery of tests, including carbon dating and genetic 
analysis. Scientists also tried to germinate 100 of the seeds found 
in the cache, without success.

The marijuana was found to have a relatively high content of THC, the 
main active ingredient in cannabis, but the sample was too old to 
determine a precise percentage.

Researchers also could not determine whether the cannabis was smoked 
or ingested, as there were no pipes or other clues in the tomb of the 
shaman, who was about 45 years old. The large cache was contained in 
a leather basket and in a wooden bowl, and was likely meant to be 
used by the shaman in the afterlife.

"This materially is unequivocally cannabis, and no material has 
previously had this degree of analysis possible," Russo said in an 
interview from Missoula, Mont.

"It was common practice in burials to provide materials needed for 
the afterlife. No hemp or seeds were provided for fabric or food. 
Rather, cannabis as medicine or for visionary purposes was supplied."

The tomb also contained bridles, archery equipment and a harp, 
confirming the man's high social standing. 
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