| 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 Ј5 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 Ј500 to
Ј2,500. 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 |
UK Cannabis
Internet Activists are formed to take the campaign to reform the UK cannabis
laws to the global community. Their www site is presently visited by over 2000
people from around the world each week, has been featured in the national
newspaper the Mail on Sunday, listed in .Net magazine, and continues to help
people take the anti-prohibition message to the press and Members of Parliament.
We would like to thank everyone who's got involved in the UK campaign through
this project for their efforts and everyone who has taken the time to send
messages of support. If you want help why not find out how you can bring a
better cannabis policy to the UK - click here. |
|
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, they 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 thereafter, although 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 sart
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 Cannabis is still
illegal. |
| http://www.ukcia.org/culture/history/chrono.html |
