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Cannabiz History

 

Tennessee Cannabiz History - A 7 Part Series



🌱 Tennessee Cannabiz History Series

From ancient fields in China to the modern Volunteer State, cannabis has shaped culture, medicine, and industry for thousands of years. Click a chapter below to explore the full story.

Part 1: China — The Divine Farmer & the Rope That Bound a Civilization

Hemp’s roots in China go back 10,000 years — from fiber, medicine, to Daoist rituals. Learn how cannabis wove itself into the fabric of civilization.

Read Part 1 →

Part 2: India — Shiva’s Gift & the People’s Medicine

From Ayurveda to sacred bhang rituals, cannabis was medicine and spiritual tool in India. Discover its role in culture, trade, and health.

Read Part 2 →

Part 3: Middle East & Africa — Cannabis, Incense, and Trade Routes

Caravans carried cannabis across deserts and mountains, fueling trade, medicine, and ritual in the Middle East and North Africa.

Read Part 3 →

Part 4: Europe — Hemp, Sails, and the Age of Exploration

Hemp powered European navies, trade, and early industry. Discover how cannabis built empires and daily life across the continent.

Read Part 4 →

Part 5: Early America — Hemp Fields of the Founding Fathers

From colonial plantations to pharmacies, cannabis was a cash crop and medicine until the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 reshaped history.

Read Part 5 →

Part 6: Tennessee Roots — From Pioneer Crop to Prohibition

Tennessee grew hemp for centuries — supporting farmers, soldiers, and communities — until prohibition erased its legacy.

Read Part 6 →

Part 7: Future Forward — Tennessee Cannabiz on the Global Stage

2026 marks a new chapter. Learn how Tennessee can reclaim its heritage and become a leader in hemp, cannabinoids, and industry.

Read Part 7 →

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While Europe Forgot — Cannabis in Asia, the Middle East & Africa

Cannabis through the ages: a timeless plant woven into the spiritual, medicinal, and cultural fabric of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.   While Europe Forgot — Cannabis in Asia, the Middle East & Africa Part 2 of the Cannabis Knowledge Restoration Project Ancient China Ancient India The Middle East Africa Archaeological Evidence The Pattern While Europe was forgetting its own cannabis knowledge — losing it to industrialization, colonialism, and eventually prohibition — other cultures were preserving theirs. Not just preserving it. Evolving it. Refining it. Passing it down through unbroken lineages of healers, physicians, and spiritual practitioners. In Post 1 , we established that cannabis was foundational to European medicine for 2,000 years — until it was deliberately erased in the 20th century. But that erasure was primarily a Western phenomenon. In China, cannabis has been documented for over 5,000 years. ...
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The European Foundation — Cannabis in Western Medicine & Alchemy

  Rediscovering 2,000 years of cannabis’ vital role in Western medicine — from ancient texts to Victorian royal approval. The European Foundation — Cannabis in Western Medicine & Alchemy Part 1 of the Cannabis Knowledge Restoration Project If you think cannabis is some foreign drug that showed up in the 1960s counterculture, you've been lied to. If you believe it's "alternative medicine" that real doctors would never touch, you've been lied to. If you assume your European ancestors would have been horrified by cannabis use, you've been lied to. The truth? Cannabis was foundational to Western medicine for over 2,000 years. It appears in the texts that trained every European physician from ancient Rome through the Victorian era . It was prescribed by royal doctors, documented by medieval nuns, studied by Renaissance alchemists, and listed in official pharmacopeias well into the 20th century. Prohibition didn't remove something dangerous ...
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The Cannabis Beverage Revolution: How THC Drinks Are Disrupting Big Alcohol (And Why Tennessee Shut Them Down)

THC-infused beverages are rapidly replacing alcohol for many consumers—triggering a coordinated backlash from the alcohol industry  that culminated in Tennessee’s 2025 hemp crackdown. The Cannabis Beverage Revolution: How THC Drinks Are Disrupting Big Alcohol (And Why Tennessee Shut Them Down) A Deep Dive Into the Fastest-Growing Segment of the Cannabis Industry—And the Billion-Dollar Threat That Triggered Tennessee's Crackdown Jump to: Market Explosion Alcohol Industry Threat Big Alcohol's Response Tennessee's Response Product Reality Health Comparison Market Reality Federal Complication Tennessee's Position The Future Conclusion When Tennessee transferred hemp regulation to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission on January 1, 2026, most people assumed it was about public safety or protecting children. But the real story is far more revealing: it's about protecting the alcohol ind...
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A Thank You Letter To President Trump for Opening the Door to Cannabis Research

  Trump's Cannabis From Schedule I to Schedule III Move Dear President Trump, I want to extend a sincere and enthusiastic thank you for your leadership in considering and moving forward with the rescheduling of marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance — a step that has already begun to reshape the national conversation around cannabis, research, and medical science. Your public remarks acknowledging that many people want this reclassification because it “leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify” reflect a willingness to look beyond old stigmas and recognize the potential for science and medicine to understand cannabis more fully. This shift — which would acknowledge cannabis as a substance with accepted medical use and a lower potential for abuse relative to Schedule I drugs — marks one of the most significant federal policy considerations in decades. By opening the door to research, innovation, an...
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Following the Money: Who Profits from Tennessee's Cannabis Prohibition?

  Let's examine who profits from Tennessee's current approach to cannabis. Table of Contents Introduction Private Prisons & Incarceration Economy Alcohol Industry & Hemp Takeover Law Enforcement & Asset Forfeiture TABC & Regulatory Capture Campaign Contributions & Political Reality The Cost of the System What Changed With the New Hemp Law The Missing Voice: Voters Cui Bono? Who Benefits? The Tennessee Prohibition Playbook Reform vs. Regulatory Capture What Happens Next? The Choice Before Tennessee Sources & Related Reading Following the Money: Who Profits from Tennessee's Cannabis Prohibition? A Political Economy Analysis of Cannabis Policy in Tennessee In our previous article , we demonstrated that Tennessee's neighboring states are generating hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue from legal cannabis markets while Tennessee pays to enforce prohibition. Illinois collected nearly $500 million...
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