OLDEST STASH OF MARIJUANA UNEARTHED IN ANCIENT TOMB

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.