Cannabis Culture. The Stages Of Cannabis Culture Development.
Man has always been prone to symbolism. Objects of nature, objects of everyday life, representatives of flora and fauna – everything has been and is undergoing some kind of simplification and labeling, which is quite normal because figurative thinking is the first step towards the artistic perception of the world. One of the first images that come to mind when pronouncing the word “cannabis/marijuana /hemp” is, of course, its high effect, which is difficult to confuse with anything.
Egyptian civilization demonstrated a new level of culture. The Egyptian goddess Seshat is the patroness of wisdom, writing and knowledge. She was portrayed with papyrus and a brush, and a seven-pointed star was located above her head. It is not clear whether this is a star because some Egyptologists are sure that this is nothing more than a green cannabis leaf.
Undoubtedly, the days of free love, pacifism and expansion of consciousness are associated with the period of the 60-70s and the wide movement of the hippie subculture. Although the main symbol is the “paw” of the Pacific, the inclusion of hemp leaf elements here and there can be traced.
Is cannabis culture is the beginning of a trend?
Сannabis tissue culture has a long history. The image of a cannabis leaf on clothes is often taken as simple gangsters and rebellion. In the capital of coffee shops in Amsterdam, you can find both simple cotton socks and a luxurious evening dress with a characteristic pattern for a thousand euros. However, there are activist movements in the world that are seeking to legalize cannabis, and for them the leaflet is not just a desire to stand out from the crowd, it is a public appeal.
Hemp clothing is, first of all, a fabric possessing the properties of a medicinal plant. The advantage of fabric made from hemp textile varieties is a combination of several important qualities that create a “calling card” of clothing. As a natural raw material for the production of comfortable and hygienic clothes, technical hemp varieties are used, which, on the one hand, have the properties of a medicinal plant, and on the other, hemp which does not contain stems consists of two parts, fiber and pulp. From cannabis fiber (bast) fabric can be made for almost any type of clothing. Hemp fabrics are very durable. In fact, the first jeans (Levi’s) were made specifically from hemp, for durability.
Cannabis culture is coming out from such states as Ancient China, India, Japan is confirmed by the fact that cannabis was used on their territory. For example, in Japan, there is a legend that married couples were reunited with the help of marijuana, and the process of expelling evil spirits was also carried out.
Ancient people used marijuana mainly in two ways:
- healing;
- Achievement of a state of altered consciousness.
With the help of cannabis, people treated cough, various pains and indigestion. In China, it has also been used to solve the problems of mental disorders.
In some states, such as India, residents attached special, sacred significance to the grass. A special drink made from this plant was used to communicate with the gods by entering into a trance.
Marijuana Legislation 2019
Debate over the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana is ongoing around the world, but dozens of countries have softened their laws. In addition, in many countries, cannabis is legally used for medical purposes.
The topic of cannabis was raised in 2019 and during the World Economic Forum in Davos. One of the newsmakers visited Canada cannabis house pavilion, which discussed the prospects for the legal marijuana industry.
In Canada, no more than four marijuana bushes can be grown at home. It is allowed to store only up to 30 grams of dry hemp, and residents can buy the drug in special stores or from licensed manufacturers.In many other countries of the world, people can carry marijuana for medical use and grow plants at home. In particular, culture cannabis indoor is partially legal in 30 countries of the world, 14 countries use marijuana in medicine. Partial legalization means that residents of these countries can grow and store a small amount of hemp
US Ligalization Statistics
The use of marijuana – whether for recreational or medical purposes – has become firmly established in the life of American society. According to the Gallup Institute, two-thirds of Americans (66%) support the full legalization of marijuana. This is the next maximum approval of this initiative over the past half century, starting in 1969 (then only 12% of respondents shared this idea) when Gallup first conducted a survey on this topic.
As the number of proponents of legalizing weed grows, so does the number of states allowing their residents the recreational (read, entertaining) use of marijuana. Currently, ten states and the District of Columbia (Illinois may soon be on this list) allow adults to use marijuana for “relaxation,” and 34 states have legalized the use of medical marijuana.
In the New York Times article written by Kenneth Davis and Mary Crick, two well-known addiction doctors, explicitly warned that regular use of the popular narcotic drug causes a noticeable decrease in IQ in young Americans. Davis and Crick call on authorities to set a minimum age at which cannabis is allowed for recreational purposes, at least 25 years old. The brain – especially the prefrontal cortex that controls decision-making – develops in adolescents and young people right up to this age.
But who will listen to doctors and psychiatrists if in Colorado the number of stores selling various types of cannabis has long surpassed the Starbucks and McDonald’s retail chains combined?
According to a study by the legal, medical, and illegal marijuana markets in the U.S. and Canada, prepared by ArcView Market Research, in 2016, U.S. and Canadian residents spent about $ 53.3 billion on cannabis (46 billion of which went to the black market). In fiscal 2018, Washington’s cannabinoid retail sales totaled $ 978 million, which means $ 358 million in excise taxes on the state. Colorado’s grass growing and sales industry reached even higher sales in 2018: a record $ 1.54 billion, which brought $ 266 million in marijuana taxes, licenses and fees.
The General opinion of people about marijuana culture
In the modern USA and Canada, along with the polemic about the legalization of marijuana at the federal level, “420” is gaining momentum every year. On April 20, hundreds of people gather in hundreds of cities in North America who light a jamb at exactly 4:20 a.m. The format of the events is surprising in its variety (depending on whether the drug is legal in one place or another): from small picnics and underground parties, to thousands of hippies and mass city festivities. However, even where marijuana is banned, police officers often turn a blind eye to offenders that day.
The most large-scale events, as a rule, are considered to be festivals in Denver and Vancouver, and soon Washington, too, this year will become the second state in the United States where marijuana was legalized, should also compete in terms of the scope of the holiday.
Why marijuana is allowed in many countries?
Today, marijuana is smoked around the globe. In 2015, the European Drug Monitoring Center published a report according to which marijuana was the most popular drug in Europe. About 79 million Europeans have tried weed at least once in their lives. Marijuana appears in 60% of reported drug-related violations of the law and in 4 out of 5 cases of drug abuse (The Big Story 2015). This is a multicultural product, but the distribution of hemp smoking is different in different countries.
For example based on UN data from 2003 to 2014, Recovery Brands conducted a study in the United States and Europe. According to him, the largest number of adult people per 1000 people who smoked at least once in the past year was observed in five countries – Iceland, the USA, Spain, Czech Republic, France (Griffits 2015). According to those few surveys in some regions of Africa and Asia, the situation here is somewhat different. As a result of studies conducted from 2004 to 2006 by the World Drug Report, the following numbers were given: people who smoked cannabis at least once in the year there were 6.2% of the total population of Egypt; 4.2% of the Moroccan population periodically smoke hemp, 3.1% in Kuwait, 5.4% in the UAE. In Uruguay, 8.3% of the population smoke cannabis. In total, according to UN statistics, marijuana and other drugs based on it are used by 2.5% to about 8% of the world’s population.
The traditional way of thinking in this matter determines the experience of legal or almost legal acquisition of a drug in places like Dutch coffee or California cannabis culture dispensaries. However, no one will give you permission to grow marijuana in either California or the Netherlands. If the grass becomes completely legal, the distribution and distribution channels would be turned upside down.
Marijuana development in the arts, film industry and animation
Probably no one will argue that cinema is both “one of the greatest arts” and one of the most effective ways of propaganda. If other forms of art affect us through any particular channel of perception, be it hearing in the case of music, visual perception in the case of painting, then the movie affects all senses, with the exception, of course, of touch (although here you can I bet it’s not for nothing that cinemas are so strongly associated with popcorn and soda).
Like any art, it reflects the current mood in society, and by its example you can see how the attitude towards something has changed. This is especially true of such an actual subject for all of us (well, it is not for nothing that you, dear reader, are holding this magazine in your hands) as our favorite plant. The connection between cinema and the most useful weed has been so rooted recently that it is possible to distinguish some films in such a category as stoner-flick.
Where and why the negative attitude towards cannabis is still held?
Today, more and more countries are permitting the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. But its effect on human health is still not well understood. A few medical studies are already outdated. The questions of dosage, side effects, and methods of use remain open. Opponents of legalization claim the effects of marijuana on mental health and consider this a direct route to harder drugs. But no systematic studies have been carried out in this regard either. the Babel briefly recounts an article by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker on whether marijuana is really healthy, what doctors say about this, and what are the prospects for further, more detailed research.
In early 2017, a team of experts from the U.S. National Academy of Medicine published a report on the health effects of marijuana. It has 468 pages, but it does not provide definitive answers about the therapeutic effects of cannabis or the potential risks. The main reason is the lack of medical research and testing. “We have evidence of using marijuana as a pain remedy, but very little is known about the effectiveness, dosage, methods of use, or side effects.”
The dose-response ratio is the first thing that pharmaceutical companies find out by testing the new drug in humans. For some drugs, the dose-response curve is linear: a double dose creates a double effect. For others, it is non-linear: a double dose can increase the effect tens of times. There were practically no such studies on marijuana, because until recently, it was virtually everywhere banned.
As for cannabis, in the opinion of the author of the article, at best, “we will gradually learn more about the real consequences of its use and adapt as necessary.” As his worst-case scenario, he cites excerpts from Alex Berenson’s book, Tell The Children The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence, by The New York Times.
The book provides the opinion of Eric Messamor, a psychiatrist specializing in neuropharmacology and the treatment of schizophrenia. He believes that THC can affect the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the brain, leading to damage to nerve cells and blood vessels.
A recent study confirmed the negative health effects of regular marijuana smoking. Social isolation, weakening short-term memory, influence on brain development … This list has again put everything in its place although the consequences of taking a “soft” drug are too often preferred to be silent.
Professor Wayne Hall has unveiled the results of a 20-year study of the long-term effects of marijuana on the human body. They showed that “grass” is highly addictive, can lead to mental disorders and create the conditions for switching to hard drugs. Is this not contrary to the numerous claims that marijuana use is not dangerous?
«We still do not have a complete picture of the methodology used by Professor Wayne Hall, but if we move away from the “shocking” simplistic formulations, we must admit that his conclusions only confirm what we already know. Active use of marijuana, begun in adolescence and continued in adulthood, increases all the risks associated with this», Alain Morel.
Forecasts (+ for CBD Prescription)
The global outlook for the legal cannabis market looks great. One can imagine the abolition of Prohibition and the boom of craft brewing, but not in one, but in several consumer categories at once. After all, alcohol is found in liquids, and cannabis derivatives can be in three physical states.
Cannabis does not leave the pages of business media and investment analyst reviews. Only in the beverage industry are giants such as The Coca-Cola Company, AB InBev, Heineken, Molson Coors, Constellation Brands already in business and share, and some other transnational are negotiating with cannabis producers. Therefore, despite the beer theme of the magazine, we can’t bypass the trend that is already affecting the global beer market.
Objectively, we are witnessing a phased lifting of bans, followed by a rapid increase in the capitalization and sales of cannabis manufacturing companies. This is an example of North America, which is rapidly moving towards the full legalization of the recreational consumption of cannabis and about fifty countries where the medical use of cannabinoids is regulated.
Where possible, cannabis and its derivatives with psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) quietly crowd out old good alcohol as it is considered a less harmful alternative.
The second rising star is non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD). It not only mitigates the dangerous effects of THC and other stimulants (including alcohol), but also as an independent product fit perfectly into the fashion trends of a healthy lifestyle, modern medicine, biohacking and responsible consumption. At the same time preserving the originality and zest of the origin of cannabis. In 2018, CBD gummies ranked third in the Food category of the Google Trends USA search ranking.
Conclusion
At the moment, cannabis, apparently, belongs to the category of substances that society allows, but at the same time condemns. The same attitude exists, for example, with alcohol and cigarettes. And the ambiguous approach of officials to such issues is best illustrated by the situation with electronic cigarettes. So, the American Food and Drug Administration is convinced that they are the “path to traditional tobacco use” for children and adolescents. In Britain, on the contrary, they consider electronic cigarettes “a much safer alternative for adult smokers seeking to satisfy their nicotine addiction.
