Nepal, Nov. 4 -- The five kingdoms of plants, having soma as their chief, we address: the darbha, hemp, barley, saha-let them free us from distress." This quote from the Atharva-Veda (1200-900 BCE) reveals the long history of the belief in the potent abilities of plants like cannabis in relieving discomfort and illness.

Indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, cannabis grows abundantly in the Himalayas and northern parts of South Asia. The use of cannabis has been referred to in some of the oldest scriptures including the sacred Vedas from around 1500 to 900 BCE, where it was described using words such as "joy-giver," "victory" and "liberator" in Sanskrit. In other ancient literary sources such as Sarangadhara (1500 CE) and Bhavapakash (16...