13 Ways Important Historical Figures Used Marijuana

Place in History
Ancient Greece provided the foundation for Western civilization. Ancient Greek civilization lasted from about 750 BC to A.D. 600, during which time the Greeks invented democracy, developed philosophy, and wrote plays and poems that are still studied and performed today.

Place in Marijuana History
In addition to the above innovations, ancient Greeks also came up with some new uses for marijuana. They swallowed cannabis seeds to get rid of tapeworms and used warm cannabis extract to treat ear obstructions. Unfortunately, their next idea was to give teenage boys marijuana in order to "dry up semen," so that the boys could make it through the night without unwanted ejaculations. Hopefully those patients at least had a few pleasant side effects.

Why It's Awesome
Nowadays teenage boys surely get more pleasure out of their marijuana use than boys in ancient Greece did. But at least the ancient Greeks were open to using cannabis, unlike most of the world today. And they got rid of tapeworm with marijuana, too. Let's face it, nobody likes tapeworms.

Place in History
William O'Shaughnessy (1808 - 1889) was an Irish physician. In 1833 he moved to Calcutta to work for the British East India company. O'Shaughnessy stayed in India for nine years, working as a doctor and as a scientist.

Place in Marijuana History
While working in India, O'Shaughnessy learned about cannabis. O'Shaughnessy was intrigued enough to start researching marijuana. When he was back in England, O'Shaugnessy used cannabis to treat muscle spasms, vomiting, and diarrhea. He was so successful that other Western doctors soon began using the same treatments.

Why It's Awesome
William O'Shaughnessy brought marijuana to the attention of modern Western medicine. In America, starting in the 1840s, you could get marijuana almost anywhere, thanks to its inclusion in a multitude of patent medicines. Without O'Shaughnessy, who knows how long it would've taken for Western medicine to clue into the benefits of cannabis?

Place in History
By the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire was in decline. But in 1876, the Sultan of Turkey used the World's Fair to recapture a bit of its old glory. At the World's Fair, held in Philadephia, Americans were given a chance to learn about the long history and fascinating culture of Turkey and its empire at the Turkish pavilion.

Place in Marijuana History
During the World's Fair, the Sultan gifted the United States with a large amount of marijuana. It was a perfect accompaniment to the Turkish pavilion, where the finer points of smoking a hookah were demonstrated to a captivated American public.

Why It's Awesome
This is what a World's Fair should be all about! Americans in 1876 proved themselves to be extremely open-minded and ready to try new things. The Turkish pavilion and the hashish the government had received started a trend that resulted in Turkish smoking parlors lining the Northeast. Sadly, like most trends, the parlors disappeared, but they were probably awesome while they lasted.