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Seeds, preserved hair in tomb point to oldest signs of cannabis high 2,800 years ago, study suggests
Hair and seeds from the tomb show clear chemical signals of cannabinol, and researchers say the find pushes direct evidence of psychoactive cannabis use back 300 years.
- On Thursday, a study published in the journal Science identified the earliest direct evidence of psychoactive cannabis use in a 2,800-year-old Siberian tomb located in the Uyuk Valley.
- Archaeologist Gino Caspari of the University of Bern led the investigation of Tunnug 1, a burial mound from the early 8th century BCE containing high-status Scythians interred with elaborate grave goods and sacrificed horses.
- Researchers recovered more than 1,400 cannabis seeds from the site and analyzed preserved human hair, revealing chemical signatures matching cannabinol and THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis.
- Caspari noted the cannabis use likely occurred within a ritual context, possibly connected to shamanistic beliefs, with burial arrangements suggesting the substance may have sedated victims during displays of extreme social power.
- Researchers are now sequencing the ancient cannabis DNA to understand domestication history, providing a cultural anchor point for modern debates on legalization and demonstrating how ancient societies ritualized psychoactive plants.
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Scientists performed a drug test on a hair found in a 2,800-year-old funerary tumule. The result was positive for marijuana, the oldest known evidence of psychoactive cannabis use.
The IndependentReposted by 
The Independent (US)
The Independent (US)People may have been getting high off cannabis 'almost 2,800 years ago'
Archaeologists who led a dig at a monumental tomb in Siberia said they turned up evidence of the earliest known use of cannabis for psychoactive purposes
·London, United Kingdom
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Siberian Tomb Reveals 2,800-Year-Old Cannabis Use
More than 1,000 cannabis seeds and THC-linked traces in hair from a 2,800-year-old Siberian Scythian tomb are the oldest reported evidence of psychoactive cannabis use, a Science study says. · 20 sources across the spectrum on IJR News.
·Alexandria, United States
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Total News Sources55
Leaning Left17Leaning Right4Center34Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Center
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
62% Center
L 31%
C 62%
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