| 2700
BC | First
written record of cannabis use, in the pharmacopoeia of Shen Nung, one of the
fathers of Chinese medicine. |
| 550
BC |
The Persian prophet Zoroaster gives hemp first place in the sacred text, the Zend-Avesta,
which lists over 10,000 medicinal plants. |
| 450
BC | The
Greek historian Herodotus describes the Scythians of central Asia throwing hemp
onto heated stones under canvas: 'as it burns, it smokes like incense and the
smell of it makes them drunk'. |
| 100
BC | Chinese
make paper from cannabis and mulberry. |
| AD
45 |
St Mark establishes the Ethiopian Coptic Church. The Copts claim that marijuana
as a sacrament has a lineage descending from the Jewish sect, the Essenes, who
are considered to be responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls. |
| 70 | Roman
Emperor Nero's surgeon, Dioscorides praises Cannabis for making "the stoutest
cords" and for it's medical properties. |
| 400 | Cannabis
cultivated for the first time in England at Old Buckeham Mare. |
| 500 | First
botanical drawing of Cannabis appears in 'Constantinopolitanus'. |
| 600 | Germans,
Franks, Vikings, etc. make paper from Cannabis. |
| 800 | Mohammed
allows Cannabis, but forbids alcohol use. |
| 1000 | The
English word 'Hempe' first listed in a dictionary. Moslems produce hashish for
medical and social use. |
| 1150 | Moslems
use Cannabis to start Europe's first paper mill. Most paper is made from Cannabis
for next 850 years. |
| 1484 | Pope
Innocent VIII singles out cannabis as an unholy sacrament of the Satanic mass. |
| 1494 | Hemp
paper making starts in England. |
| 1545 | Spanish
bring Cannabis cultivation to Chile. |
| 1554 | Spanish
bring Cannabis cultivation to Peru. |
| 1563 | Queen
Elizabeth I decrees that land owners with 60 acres or more must grow Cannabis
else face a £5 fine. |
| 1564 | King
Philip of Spain follows lead of Queen Elizabeth and orders Cannabis to be grown
throughout his Empire from modern-day Argentina to Oregon. |
| 1606 | British
take Cannabis to Canada to be cultivated mainly for maritime uses. |
| 1611 | British
start cultivating Cannabis in Virginia. |
| 1619 | Virginia
colony makes Cannabis Cultivation Mandatory, followed by most other colonies.
Europe pays Hemp bounties. |
| 1631 | Cannabis
used for bartering throughout American Colonies. |
| 1632 | Pilgrims
bring Cannabis to New England. |
| 1753 | Cannabis
Sativa classified by Linneaus. |
| 1776 | Declaration
of Independence drafted on Cannabis paper. |
| 1783 | Cannabis
Indica classified by Lamarck. |
| 1791 | President
Washington sets duties on Cannabis to encourage domestic industry. Jefferson calls
Cannabis "a necessity" and urges farmers to grow Cannabis instead of tobacco. |
| 1807 | Napoleon
signs the Treaty of Tilset with Czar Alexander of Russia which cuts off all legal
Russian trade with Britain. Britain blackmails and press gangs American sailors
into illegally trading in Russian Hemp. |
| 1808 | Napoleon
wants to place French Troops at Russian ports to ensure the Treaty of Tilset is
complied with. The Czar refuses and turns a blind eye to Britain's illegal trade
in Cannabis. |
| 1812 | 19th
June America declares war on Britain. 24th June Napoleon invades Russia aiming
to put an end to Britain's main supply of Cannabis. By the end of the year the
Russian winter and army had destroyed most of Napolean's invading force. |
| 1835 | The
Club de Hashichines, whose bohemian membership included the poet Baudelaire, is
founded. |
| 1839 | Homeopathy
journal American Provers' Union publishes first of many reports on the effects
of Cannabis. |
| 1841 | Dr.
W.B. O'Shaunghnessy of Scotland works in India then introduces Cannabis to Western
medicine. In the following 50 years hundreds of medical papers are written on
the medical benefits of Cannabis. |
| 1845 | Psychologist
and 'inventor' of modern psychopharmacology and psychotimimetic drug treatment,
Jacques-Joseph Moreau de Tours documents physical and mental benefits of Cannabis. |
| 1857 | 'The
Hasheesh Eater' by Fitz Hugh Ludlow is published. Smith Brothers of Edinburgh
start to market a highly active extract of Cannabis Indica used as a basis for
innumerable tinctures. |
| 1860 | First
Governmental commission study of Cannabis and health conducted by Ohio State Medical
society. |
| 1870 | Cannabis
is listed in the US Pharmacopoeia as a medicine for various ailments. |
| 1876 | Hashish
served at American Centennial Exposition. |
| 1890 | Queen
Victoria's personal physician, Sir Russell Reynolds, prescribes Cannabis for menstrual
cramps. He claims in the first issue of The Lancet, that Cannabis "When pure and
administered carefully, is one of the of the most valuable medicines we possess" |
| 1895 | The
Indian Hemp Drug Commission concludes that cannabis has some medical uses, no
addictive properties and a number of positive emotional and social benefits. First
known use of the word 'marijuana' for smoking, by Pancho Villa's supporters in
Sonora Mexico. The song "La Curaracha" tells the story of one of Villa's men looking
for his stash of "marijuana por fumar" |
| 1910 | African-American
'reefer' use reported in jazz clubs of New Orleans, said to be influencing white
people. Mexican's reported to be smoking Cannabis in Texas. Newspaper tycoon Randolph
Hearst has 800,000 acres of prime Mexican Timberland seized from him by Villa
and his men. Could this be the reason why his newspapers subsequently ran many
stories portraying Negroes and Mexicans as frenzied beasts under the influence
of 'Marijuana'. |
| 1911 | Hindus
reported to be using 'Gunjah' in San Francisco. South Africa starts to outlaw
Cannabis. |
| 1912 | The
possibility of putting controls on the use of Cannabis is raised at the first
International Opium Conference. |
| 1915 | California
outlaws Cannabis. |
| 1916 | Recognising
that timber supplies are finite, USDA Bulletin 404 calls for new program of expansion
of Cannabis to replace uses of timber by industry. |
| 1919 | Texas
outlaws Cannabis. |
| 1923 | The
South African delegate to the League of Nations claims mine workers are not as
productive after using 'dagga' (Cannabis) and calls for international controls.
Britain insists on further research before any controls are imposed. |
| 1924 | At
the second International Opiates Conference the Egyptian delegate claims that
serious problems are associated with Hashish use and calls for immediate international
controls. A Sub-Committee is formed and listens to the Egyptian and Turkish delegations
while Britain abstains. The conference declares Cannabis a Narcotic and recommends
strict international control. |
| 1925 | The
'Panama Canal Zone Report' conducted due to the level of Cannabis use by soldiers
in the area concludes that there is no evidence that Cannabis use is habit-forming
or deleterious. The report recommends that no action be taken to prevent the use
or sale of Cannabis. |
| 1928 | September
28th. The Dangerous Drugs Act 1925 becomes law and Cannabis is made illegal in
Britain. |
| 1930 | Louis
Armstrong is arrested in Los Angeles for possession of cannabis. |
| 1931 | The
Federal Bureau of Narcotics is formed with Anslinger appointed as its head. |
| 1937 | Following
action by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and a campaign by newspaper magnate
William Randolph Hearst, a prohibitive tax is put on hemp in the USA, effectively
destroying the industry. Anslinger testifies to congress that 'Marijuana' is the
most violence causing drug known to Man. The objections by the American Medical
Association (The AMA only realised that 'Marijuana' was in fact Cannabis 2 days
before the start of hearing) and the National Oil Seed Institute are rejected. |
| 1938 | The
February edition of US magazine Popular Mechanics (written before the Marijuana
Transfer Tax was passed) declares 'Hemp - the New Billion Dollar Crop.' |
| 1941 | Cannabis
dropped from the American Pharmacopoeia. Popular Mechanics Magazine reveal details
of Henry Ford's plastic car made using Cannabis and fuelled from Cannabis. Henry
Ford continued to illegally grow Cannabis for some years after the Federal ban,
hoping to become independent of the petroleum industry. |
| 1943 | Both
the US and German governments urge their patriotic farmers to grow hemp for the
war effort. The US shows farmers a short film - 'Hemp for Victory' which the government
later pretends never existed. The editor of 'Military Journal' states that although
some military personnel smoke Cannabis he does not view this as a problem. |
| 1944 | New
York Mayor LaGuardia's Marijuana commission reports that Cannabis causes no violence
at all and cites other positive results. Anslinger responds by denouncing LaGuardia
and threatens doctors with prison sentences if they dare carry out independent
research on Cannabis. |
| 1945 | Newsweek
reports that over 100,000 Americans use Cannabis. |
| 1948 | Anslinger
now declares that using Cannabis causes the user to become peaceful and pacifistic.
He also claims that the Communists would use Cannabis to weaken the American's
will to fight. |
| 1951 | UN
bulletin of Narcotic Drugs estimates 200 million Cannabis users worldwide. |
| 1952 | First
UK Cannabis bust at the Number 11 Club, Soho. |
| 1961 | Anslinger
heads US delegation at UN Drugs Convention. New international restrictions are
placed on Cannabis aiming to eliminate its use within 25 years. |
| 1962 | Anslinger
is sacked by President Kennedy. Kennedy may well have smoked cannabis in the White
House. |
| 1964 | The
first head shop is opened by the Thelin brothers in the United States. |
| 1966 | The
folk singer Donovan becomes the first celebrity hippy to fall foul of the law. |
| 1967 | In
July over 3,000 people hold a mass 'smoke-in' in Hyde Park in London. The same
month, The Times carries a pro-legalisation advertisement which declares that
"the laws against Marijuana are immoral in principle and unworkable in Practice.
The signatories include David Dimbleby, Bernard Levin, and the Beatles. |
| 1967 | The
most famous bust of all, on the home of Rolling Stone, Keith Richards, uncovered
marijuana. Richards and Mick Jagger were sentenced to prison for respectively
three months and one year. The sentences prompted an outcry that culminated in
Lord Rees Mogg's famous Times editorial 'Who brakes a butterfly on a wheel?' The
convictions were quashed on appeal. |
| 1967 | In
New York, on Valentines Day, Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies mail out 3000 joints
to addresses chosen at random from the phonebook. They offer these people the
chance to discover what all the fuss is about, but remind them that they are now
criminals for possessing cannabis. The mail out was secretly funded by Jimi Hendrix,
and attracts huge publicity. |
| 1968 | A
Home Office select committee, chaired by Baroness Wootton, looks at the 'cannabis
question'. Its report concluded that cannabis was no more harmful than tobacco
or alcohol, and recommended that the penalties for all marijuana offences be reduced.
Campaign against Cannabis use by US Troops in Vietnam - Soldiers switch to heroin. |
| 1969 | Incoming
Labour minister Jim Callaghan rejects the Wootton recommendations and introduces
a new Misuse of Drugs Act, which prescribes a maximum five years' imprisonment
for possession. The Act remains in force to this day. |
| 1970 | Canadian
Le Dain report claims that the debate on the non-medical use of Cannabis "has
all too often been based on hearsay, myth and ill-informed opinion about the effects
of the drug." Marijuana Transfer Tax' declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme
Court. |
| 1971 | Misuse
of Drugs Act lists Cannabis as a Class B drug and bans its medical use despite
the recommendation of the Wootton Report that "Preparations of Cannabis and it's
derivatives should continue to be available on prescription for purposes of medical
treatment and research". President Nixon declares drugs "America's public enemy
No. 1". |
| 1972 | The
White House passes a $1 billion anti-drug bill and Nixon again declares drugs
America's public enemy No. 1". The US Government Shafer report voices concern
at the level of spending used to stop illicit drug use. From 1969-73 the level
of spending rose over 1000 percent. |
| 1973 | President
Nixon declares "We have turned the corner on drug addiction in America'. Oregon
becomes the first state to take steps towards legalisation. |
| 1975 | Hundreds
of Doctors call on US Government to instigate further research on Cannabis. Supreme
Court of Alaska declares that 'right of privacy' protects Cannabis possession
in the home. Limit for public possession is set at one ounce. |
| 1976 | Ford
Administration bans government funding of medical research on Cannabis. Pharmaceutical
companies allowed to carry out research on synthetic, manmade Cannabis analogues.
Holland adopts policy of tolerance to Cannabis users. Robert Randal becomes first
American to receive Cannabis from Federal supplies under a Investigational New
Drug (IND) program. Ford's chief advisor on drugs, Robert Dupont declares that
Cannabis is less harmful than alcohol or tobaeeo and urges for it's decriminalisation.
Disturbances erupt at the end of the Notting Hill carnival. BBC News reports:
'Scores of young black men roamed the streets late into the night, openly smoking
marijuana joints and listening to the non-stop pounding of reggae music'. |
| 1978 | New
Mexico becomes first US state to make Cannabis available for medical use. |
| 1980 | Paul
McCartney spends ten days in prison in Japan for possession of cannabis. |
| 1983 | UK
convictions for cannabis possession exceed 20,000, having risen from just under
15,000 in 1980. US government instructs American Universities and researchers
to destroy all 1966-76 Cannabis research work. |
| 1988 | In
Washington, DEA Judge Francis Young concludes at the end of a lengthy legal process
that "Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active
substances known to man". He recommends that medical use of marijuana should be
allowed, for certain life- or sense-threatening illnesses. The DEA administrator
rejects the ruling. US Senate adds $2.6 Billion to federal anti-drug efforts. |
| 1989 | Outgoing
president Reagan declares victory in War on Drugs as being a major achievement
of his administration. Secretary of State James Baker reports that the global
war on narcotics production "is clearly not being won." |
| 1990 | The
discovery of THC receptors in the human brain is reported in Nature. |
| 1991 | 42,209
people are convicted of cannabis offences in the UK. 19,583 escape with cautions. |
| 1993 | Hempcore
become the first British company to obtain a license to grow Cannabis as the Home
Office lift restrictions on industrial hemp cultivation. |
| 1994 | Home
Secretary Michael Howard increases maximum fines for possession from £500 to £2,500.
Germany becomes the first European country apart from Holland to decriminalise
possession of 'small quantities of cannabis for occasional use'. The Liberal-Democrat
conference votes for a Royal Commission, yet the tabloid press report that they
support legalisation! Key rings with leaves taken from Hempcore's first Harvest
are illegally sold in such publications as 'Viz'. The Home Office are aware of
the situation but do not prosecute Hempcore who could have been facing 15 years
and an unlimited fine. Association of Cannabis Therapeutics talks to Department
Of Health about possibility of Legalising Cannabis for Medical use. |
| 1995 | Channel
4 dedicate 8 hours of programming to Cannabis on Pot Night. The BBC respond with
blatant anti-cannabis propaganda on Panorama. 10 millionth cannabis arrest in
the US in July. Labour shadow minister Clare Short says the subject of decriminalisation
should be discussed. She is immediately denounced by other leading Labour Politicians. |
| 1995 | UKCIA
website is launched |
|
1997 | The
newspaper The Independent on Sunday launched a "Decriminalise cannabis"
campaign. They, like us, believed that a change would come with the newly elected
Labour government but they and we were wrong, but they did organise a big demonstration
in London in March of 1998 before dropping the campaign. These large demonstrations
became an annual event fpr spme time thereafter, although they were no longer
organised by the newspaper. |
|
2000 | After
four long years of attempted repression of cannabis under the first Labour Administration
of Tony Blair, the climate of opinion began to change. In September of 2000, at
the Tory party conference, the then shadow Home Secretary, Anne Widdecombe to
make her keynote speech which was to be in the tradition of firm support for the
issue of law and order. She announced that the next Conservative government would
have a "crack down" on cannabis and she even proposed on the spot fines
for simple small scale possession. The media and the police tore the speech apart
as unworkable and even undesirable. Several Tory MP's admitted past use, the crack
down on cannabis was over. |
| 2001 | At
the start of the new administration in June 2001 the police in Lambeth, South
London announced that they would no longer give anyone found in possession of
cannabis a criminal record and the issue of legalisation became a major issue
in the campaign for the leadership of the Conservative party. We began to hope
change was close |
| 2001 | October:
The government sets up a Select Committee to look at drugs policy. When giving
evidence the Home Secretary (David Blunkett) announces his intention to move cannabis
from class B to class C, making possession a non-arrestable offence. |
| 2004 | January:
The long awaited reclassification finally happened, but the law relating to Class
C drugs was changed so as to make most of the changes meaningless. The government
spends 1 million pounds on an advertising campaign to tell people nothing had
changed and that Cannabis is still illegal. |
| 2005 |
Reefer madness
V2 launched by the mental health charities RETHINK and SANE, drawing attention
to research which claimed to show a link between cannabis use and serious mental
illness. The campaign was used as a platform to oppose the reclassification to
class C and over the next four years a series of alarmist and totally inaccurate
newspaper reports carried scare stories of a dangerous new version of cannabis
- "skunk" - said to be 30 or more times stronger than cannabis used
to be. The
ACMD examines the issue and recommends no change to the classification of cannabis
and the Home Secretary Charles Clarke agrees to keep it where it is, but orders
a total review of the drugs classifications. Clarke is replaced shortly after
and his review is scrapped. |
| 2007 | Tony
Blair finally stands down to widespread relief, but is replaced by Gordon Brown
who announces his intention to move cannabis to class B again. The issue is returned
to the ACMD for their advice upon which the decision would normally have been
based. |
| 2008 |
ACMD reports
that cannabis should remain class C. Research carried out for the Home Office
but never made public is leaked by the Guardian and shows incidence of psychosis
has actually dropped during the time cannabis use increased. Gordon Brown ignores
the ACMD advice and announces cannabis will be returned to class B. UKCIA
loses it's webhosting and moves to a new server. Newsblog starts. |
| 2009 | Cannabis
is returned to class B of the misuse of drugs act in January. The chair of the
advosory body the ACMD, Prof Nutt, is forced to resign for criticising the governments
descision to move cannabis back to class B. |
