In-Depth run Through of the History of Cannabis Accessories
Generally, cannabis use is associated with a carefree attitude akin to those of the hippies of the 70s or childhood memories of smoking in your friend's basement and watching raunchy comedies. When someone thinks of cannabis they probably picture their most used accessory. Whether it is the old reliable bong, the new and hip dab rig, a tightly rolled joint between two fingers being brought to eagerly pursed lips or a shoddily made gravity bong in a dorm window, the accessory many times can tell the story of cannabis well, or at least better than a forgetful pothead. Since humans started using cannabis there has been a medley of accessories that can help tell the story of cannabis use around the world as well as how technology has advanced.
Earliest Origins
Herodotus, a Greek historian born in 484 BCE, wrote about funeral ceremonies of a nomadic society that would take hemp-seed and put it on top of red hot stones to release vapor in the air. This story, one written in 440 BCE by the man who they called the ‘father of history’ was recently corroborated by findings in an excavation that found wooden bowls and braziers with races of THC. The thought is that these ancient peoples who fill a brazier full of hemp and then burn it to release the smoke that could get them high, usually in a small confined area as to make the air thick with smoke and to induce a high.
Even farther back than that in 2700 BCE, cannabis was used medicinally in China by emperor Shen Nung. Shen Nung recommended cannabis use for malaria, gout, and absent-mindedness. In India, the history of cannabis is deeply rooted in the Hindu religion.
Bhang is popular in India, a drink where cannabis is combined with milk to create a delicious drink. Cannabis was also spread to Africa and was used frequently in ancient Egypt, except in a very different way. One way cannabis was used to help the Egyptians was as a suppository to treat hemorrhoids.
The way people have consumed cannabis has changed greatly over the vast history of humanity.
The earliest smoking was done by filling a room with smoke while placing the hemp on in a bowl of hot coals. Over time as cannabis use spread across the world, new ways of getting the desired effects of cannabis took shape. It was and still is ingested as a drink in India.
It was also ingested as a juice in Ancient Roman times as a juice to treat earaches. In China, in the year 200, cannabis was reduced to a powder and mixed with wine to be used in surgeries by early Chinese doctors as an anesthetic. In colonial times, the western countries of Europe created the pipe bowl to smoke a variety of things including tobacco and cannabis.
This was then spread to the rest of Europe and eastern countries and became a mainstay accessory in the cannabis industry. Cannabis was widely used and recommended in Europe in the 19th century to help with muscle spasms, tetanus, rabies and menstrual cramps. This was mostly administered using tinctures mixed with alcohol.
The change in human civilizations also played a role in the accessories people used. As technology progressed through history people moved from hotboxing tents, in ancient Greek times, to smoking through a pipe and bowl for direct cannabis highs.
Modern Day
By the early 20th century, cannabis use was incredibly popular for both recreational and medical uses. In North America, cannabis was very popular in Mexico and racial tensions in the United States led to the systematic demonization of cannabis use. In 1937, the United States government enacted the Marijuana Tax Act which essentially made growing and selling marijuana illegal or at least not feasible. Propaganda films against marijuana were introduced in the 1940s and 50s intended to scare parents into making sure their kids were not using marijuana.
This is where the gravity bong, you know and have used, was invented. An accessory that was easy to create without needing any obvious marijuana accessories like a bong. All you needed was a cup and a plastic water bottle.
Also in this era, the joint and blunt became extremely popular marijuana accessories. This was because it was easy to buy tobacco roll-ups and replace the tobacco with marijuana without raising suspicion. Although smoking through paper has always been popular, smoking with tobacco paper became incredibly widespread in this era.
Cannabis Culture
Cannabis in pop culture has changed drastically over the last 100 years, especially in the United States. At the start of the 20th century, cannabis use for medicinal reasons was very popular and more or less accepted as a form of eastern medicine. Through demonization and harsh legal repercussions, marijuana use was seen as harmful and devious. Celebrities in the United States have consistently used cannabis and shown it. It became a symbol of cool to be able to do something illegal and be able to get away with it as a celebrity. From 70s rockers like Lynyrd Skynyrd to 90s rappers like Snoop Dogg, cannabis use has been a staple of mainstream music culture and was also seen as something cool. This continued trend ignites young people to smoke cannabis recreationally in order to be rebellious or more like their idols. In current times, the mainstream use of cannabis and the increased legalization has made cannabis use less rebellious but much of the medicinal benefits have been coming back into focus. Now, politicians fight for cannabis legalization as well as even some other drugs like hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Conclusion
The history of cannabis is long and storied, and the way people used it has changed dramatically. From ancient nomadic civilizations filling a tent with hemp smoke in order to get high and honor the dead, to a couple of teenagers filling their car with smoke from a blunt or a nice bong and listening to music, the story of humanity, cannabis, and cannabis accessories are not all that different. While cannabis accessories have changed with and grown in accordance with technological advances and have been stifled by government regulations, it is an important reminder that for thousands of years people have been getting high and having fun in a safe and enjoyable way.
