1798: Napoleon Bonaparte lands in Alexandria with thirty thousand French soldiers and two thousand cannons. He defeats the Mamelukes’ army near the Pyramids, and conquers Cairo, all through one of those flash wars of which the French general was a specialist. Two years earlier, with a similar military operation, it had conquered the Lombardy region …
The question of cannabis through the legal interpretation of religious authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Introduction: Middle Eastern states and the Islamic world are known for adopting strict codes of prohibitions. These apply to sexual norms, such as premarital sex, social practices such as gambling and consumption behaviour as in the case of …
Cannabis in Iran: Situated between Afghanistan’s extensive poppy fields and eager Western markets, Iran has an extensive history of domestic opium, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use dating back centuries. In recent decades, heroin has become more popular. Most recently, the use of methamphetamine has increased and is reportedly in demand across the social spectrum, from …
The trip to Lebanon was fantastic. Lebanon is a great country and up to few years ago it was called the Switzerland of the Middle East where lots of rich people would have their bank accounts… The food is of high standards, great quality, a perfect mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. It is …
Northern Africa: Egypt and Morocco A good example of cultural imperialism towards cannabis culture is provided by Napoleon, who during the Egyptian campaign published a proclamation in which he ordered that: 1) The use of the drink that some Muslims prepare with hemp, and the smoking of hemp flowers are prohibited throughout Egypt. Those who …
How do plants adapt themselves to a new environment? We often ask ourselves the problem of having to grow plants whose original habitat is very different from what we are able to offer them: narrow grow boxes with artificial lights or a small balcony disguised in the city. The soil changes, the climate, the waterings …
How to Select a Vigorous and Productive Genetic Line Have you ever wondered why some types of cannabis plants grow better than others or are more productive in certain environments? Why do some plants grow puny, thin, weak, frail and get sick producing very little? Others, on the other hand, show great vigour and rapid …
Beginning in the 5th century, cannabis comes more and more frequently in the prescriptions of Arab doctors and in the 12th century its influence began to be felt in some Persian mystical orders, in particular the Sufi, who used it in their complicated ritual dances to reach the ecstasy. In the book of the Kings …
The discovery of hemp remains in a funerary urn of Wilmrdorf (Brandenburg, Germany), contained in a tomb of the 5th century BC and brought to light by the archaeologist Herman Busse in 1896, testifies the existence of cannabis in northern Europe since prehistoric times, according to what Busse himself claimed in the report presented to …
Cannabis History in ancient Asia The first traces of hemp date back to China during the Neolithic period, around 3000 BC. The legendary Chinese emperor Shen-Nung, in a book of drugs written around 2737 BC , prescribes hemp resin as a remedy against “female weakness, gout, rheum, malaria, flu, fainting”. Other news is contained in …