Hemp is a universal plant: it has long attracted the attention of the hunter-gatherer society. As a source of weaving and rope production. But unlike other plants of this kind – flax in Central Asia or chimbira on Amazon, hemp is also psychoactive. In this regard, it is interesting to note that in English vocabulary related to oral speech, the same words are often used to describe the manufacture of threads and to describe the process of weaving. So, let’s say, a story is woven, an incident is sorted, unraveled, and stories are weaved. We pick up the thread of a story and follow it, as if we are tacking an explanation to it. Our lie is completely cut out of something, the reality is dissolved by an endless golden braid. Does this vocabulary community reflect some ancient connection between the planting means — hemp — and those intellectual processes that are behind the discovery of the art of weaving and telling various tales and stories? I suppose it is quite possible.Hemp was the most likely candidate among plants to replace the sacred psilocybin mushroom of the more ancient cultures of the Middle East. Although this transition from mushrooms to cannabis lies in the distant past, its legacy for the present time is the association of cannabis with the style of a partner society. And in fact, its ever-increasing presence in the society of the times of the Vedas, and later in Islam, could influence the containment of the rise of values of dominion. It definitely supported unorthodox forces — Shivists in Hinduism and Sufiyas in Islam, who did not make secrets from their reliance on cannabis as a source of religious inspiration, which had a markedly feminine character.his legacy for the present time is the association of cannabis with the style of the partnership. And in fact, its ever-increasing presence in the society of the times of the Vedas, and later in Islam, could influence the containment of the rise of values of dominion. It definitely supported unorthodox forces — Shivists in Hinduism and Sufiyas in Islam, who did not make secrets from their reliance on cannabis as a source of religious inspiration, which had a markedly feminine character.his legacy for the present time is the association of cannabis with the style of the partnership. And in fact, its ever-increasing presence in the society of the times of the Vedas, and later in Islam, could influence the containment of the rise of values of dominion. It definitely supported unorthodox forces — Shivists in Hinduism and Sufiyas in Islam, who did not make secrets from their reliance on cannabis as a source of religious inspiration, which had a markedly feminine character.who did not make secrets from their reliance on hemp as a source of religious inspiration, which had a particularly feminine character.who did not make secrets from their reliance on hemp as a source of religious inspiration, which had a particularly feminine character.
The role of cannabis in European society is quite complex. Marco Polo, whose exploits and descriptions of travels in the mysterious East made such a significant contribution to the enrichment and change of the European mentality, gave one of the first and most widely known descriptions of hashish consumption, repeating the popular tale of the “Mountain Elder” Ibn al-Sabah – the famous head frantic cult of hashishists, vile sect of murderers. According to this legend, the young men, thirsty for acceptance into the sect, were given a large dose of hashish, and then introduced into an “artificial paradise” – a secret valley with exotic gardens, beating fonts and beautiful girls. They were told that it was possible to return to this country of dreams only after they had committed political assassinations. Indeed, the words “hashishist” (hashishin) and “assassin” (assassin) are considered etymologically related.The truth of this story was widely discussed, but it is certain that its prevalence in Europe gave cannabis a dubious reputation, as well as a peculiar charm.
Five centuries after Marco Polo, the French administration of Napoleonic Egypt suffered a complete defeat in its attempts to control the production and sale of cannabis products. In response to the sale ban, the Greek smugglers immediately organized a profitable underground business of importing hashish to Egypt.
Militarily, Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt was unsuccessful, but as an attempt to mutually enrich different cultures, it was a resounding success. Napoleon took with him to Egypt a magnificent library and 175 pundits who conducted observations, made sketches, and also collected. Linguistic and cultural information. This attempt ultimately resulted in the publication of “The Description of Egypt” (“Description d’Egypte”) in 24 volumes (1809–1813). These volumes inspired many authors to write books about travels and, in general, were a terrific stimulus for the development of imagination among Europeans.