Rope, Dope and the Empire: A Brief History of Humans and the Cannabis Plant (Summer Special)

Freedom of Species

In today’s summer special, Betty takes Nick and the listeners through 12,000 years of the cannabis plant. Starting in the ancient world, through the age of sail and into the modern era, we follow the cannabis plant on its global journey and its role in human politics and development. We finish with a discussion on cannabis pharmacology, drug prohibition and challenges facing the revival of the hemp industry in modern times.Music has been removed from the podcast version of the show due to copyright. Please check out the music featured on the live show through these links or on our Spotify playlist.Music featured:Hemp – Yellow Blue Bus: https://youtu.be/FGIfNF5qO8w?si=8DRAG01hWmqRixhxGanja Farmer – J Boog: https://soundcloud.com/jboogmusic/ganja-farmerHashish – Ibrahim Maalouf: https://soundcloud.com/ibrahim-maalouf/hashishFreedom of Species Spotify playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=6ghUWmzkQpyvsPJM9PNB-w&pi=rl23HPZQS1ins&fbclid=IwY2xjawHoEuJleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRsgsJ5WkFD9Dx9vuiubNXtF1GMaFOFYw8cXDD3UdwkuYHBSswptwIw8wA_aem_AiO4AOLyNFOoqz5PRlkU5Q&nd=1&dlsi=0efe6436f2fe4f8bReferences and links:Abel, E. L. (2013). Marihuana: the first twelve thousand years. Springer Science & Business Media.Ayonrinde O. A. (2020). Cannabis and psychosis: revisiting a nineteenth century study of 'Indian Hemp and Insanity' in Colonial British India. Psychological medicine, 50(7), 1164–1172.Bania G. (2022). Shifts in therapeutic practices and decline of medicinal cannabis in Indian North-Eastern Frontier (1826-1925). Journal of cannabis research, 4(1), 52.Borougerdi, B. J. (2014). Cord of empire, exotic intoxicant: Hemp and culture in the Atlantic world, 1600-1900 (Order No. 3626432). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; ProQuest One Academic. (1558183077).Clarke, R. C., & Merlin, M. D. (2016). Cannabis Domestication, Breeding History, Present-day Genetic Diversity, and Future Prospects. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 35(5-6), 293-327.Fike, J. (2016). Industrial Hemp: Renewed Opportunities for an Ancient Crop. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 35(5-6), 406-424. Gülck, T., & Møller, B. L. (2020). Phytocannabinoids: Origins and Biosynthesis. Trends in Plant Science, 25(10), 985-1004. Hart, C. L. (2022). Drug use for grown-ups: Chasing liberty in the land of fear. Penguin.Jiggens, J. (2012). Sir Joseph Banks and the question of hemp : hemp, seapower and empire, 1776-1815Mead, A. (2019). Legal and Regulatory Issues Governing Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products in the United States. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10.Nutt, D. (2022) Cannabis (seeing through the smoke): The New Science of Cannabis and Your Health. Yellow Kite BooksRen, G., Zhang, X., Li, Y., Ridout, K., Serrano-Serrano, M. L., Yang, Y., Liu, A., Ravikanth, G., Nawaz, M. A., Mumtaz, A. S., Salamin, N., & Fumagalli, L. (2021). Large-scale whole-genome resequencing unravels the domestication history of Cannabis sativa. Science Advances, 7(29), eabg2286.Schluttenhofer, C., & Yuan, L. (2017). Challenges towards Revitalizing Hemp: A Multifaceted Crop. Trends in Plant Science, 22(11), 917-929.Talk from Dr. Carl Hart: Drug Use for Grownups, A Human Rights Perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6PHC4p1Ohw&t=1226sDr Carl Hart Democracy Now interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKXWelf-ZvA