The African Roots of Cannabis: Ecological, Social and Political Histories

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST

With Dr. Chris Duvall

Cannabis is more frequently in the news than any other plant, and, by some measures, it is the most valuable crop in the U.S. Yet most people know little about the plant’s past beyond pop-cultural rumors, most of which are false. This knowledge share outlines the plant’s human heritage, and encourages people to honor through remembrance the diverse histories embedded in the plant. Cannabis can provide fiber, oil seeds and psychoactive substances. It is neither good nor bad; it has been sometimes a plant of power, and sometimes a plant of the powerless. This knowledge share sketches a global history of cannabis—including its psychoactive and non-psychoactive uses—and shows how knowledge of its past is important for understanding the plant as it changes from a black- market commodity to a mainstream product. Knowing the plant's past is important for cutting through some of the nonsense that surrounds cannabis in current society, and restoring a plant heritage that has been damaged through a century of prohibition.