RESEARCHERS HIGH ON ANCIENT POT FIND

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 although 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 is American neurologist
Dr. Ethan B. Russo.

Remnants of ancient cannabis have been found in 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.

Russo is a full-time consultant with GW Pharmaceuticals, which makes
Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine approved in Canada for pain linked
to multiple sclerosis and cancer.

The company operates a cannabis-testing laboratory at a secret
location in southern England to monitor crop quality for producing
Sativex, and allowed Russo use of the facility for tests on 11 grams
of the tomb cannabis.

Researchers needed about 10 months to cut red tape barring the
transfer of the cannabis to England from China, Russo said.

The inter-disciplinary study was published this week by the
British-based botany journal, which uses independent reviewers to
ensure the accuracy and objectivity of submitted papers.

The substance has been found in two of the 500 Gushi tombs excavated
so far in northwestern China, indicating that cannabis was either
restricted for use by a few individuals or was administered as a
medicine to others through shamans, Russo said.

"It certainly does indicate that cannabis has been used by man for a
variety of purposes for thousands of years."

Russo, who had a neurology practice for 20 years, has previously
published studies examining the history of cannabis.

"I hope we can avoid some of the political liabilities of the issue,"
he said, referring to his latest paper.

The region of China where the tomb is located, Xinjiang, is considered
an original source of many cannabis strains worldwide.