Marijuana is one of the oldest known psychoactive drugs that has been used for thousands of years by a number of different cultures and religions. In Ancient Egypt for example, cannabis was used as a pain-reliever rather than a cure and traces of it is found in the remains of a number of mummies. In Ancient China, cannabis was mentioned in literature for the first time, when they recorded the first use of marijuana as medicine in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the Rh-Ya. Marijuana was also consumed and used for years in the United States, including the Old West.
Cowboys in the Old West were most known for chewing tobacco, but they also consumed other drugs including marijuana, in more ways than one. Before they got to the Old West, people had to travel across the country by wagon, and these pioneer wagons were covered with cannabis fiber. Many cultures across the world also used cannabis for its strong fibers, which is why people in the Old West certainly also used the plant for clothes and lassos. Cannabis has also been used for thousands of years for many religious and spiritual purposes, so people in the Old West used the plant to keep off witches. No one will know for sure if the cannabis actually scared off witches, but it’s clear cannabis has been consumed in the United States since the very beginning.
