OLDEST STASH OF MARIJUANA UNEARTHED IN ANCIENT TOMB

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/slideshows/marijuana-stash.html
check out these awesome pictures of the dig

Author: Dean Beeby, Canadian Press
Cited: Phytochemical and Genetic Analyses of Ancient Cannabis From
Central Asia http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/59/15/4171

OTTAWA -- Researchers say they have located the world's oldest stash
of marijuana, in a tomb in a remote part of China.

The cache of cannabis is about 2,700 years old and was clearly
"cultivated for psychoactive purposes," rather than as fibre for
clothing or as food, says a research paper in the Journal of
Experimental Botany.

The 789 grams of dried cannabis was buried alongside a light-haired,
blue-eyed Caucasian man, likely a shaman of the Gushi culture, near
Turpan in northwestern China. The extremely dry conditions and
alkaline soil acted as preservatives, allowing a team of scientists to
carefully analyze the stash, which still looked green though it had
lost its distinctive odour.

"To our knowledge, these investigations provide the oldest
documentation of cannabis as a pharmacologically active agent," says
the newly published paper, whose lead author was American neurologist Dr. Ethan B. Russo.

Remnants of cannabis have been found in ancient Egypt and other sites, and the substance has been referred to by authors such as the Greek historian Herodotus. But the tomb stash is the oldest so far that
could be thoroughly tested for its properties.

The 18 researchers, most of them based in China, subjected the
cannabis to a battery of tests, including carbon dating and genetic
analysis. Scientists also tried to germinate 100 of the seeds found
in the cache, without success.

The marijuana was found to have a relatively high content of THC, the
main active ingredient in cannabis, but the sample was too old to
determine a precise percentage.

Researchers also could not determine whether the cannabis was smoked or ingested, as there were no pipes or other clues in the tomb of the shaman, who was about 45 years old. The large cache was contained in a leather basket and in a wooden bowl, and was likely meant to be used by the shaman in the afterlife.

"This materially is unequivocally cannabis, and no material has previously had this degree of analysis possible," Russo said in an
interview from Missoula, Mont.

"It was common practice in burials to provide materials needed for the
afterlife. No hemp or seeds were provided for fabric or food. Rather, cannabis as medicine or for visionary purposes was supplied."

The tomb also contained bridles, archery equipment and a harp,
confirming the man's high social standing.