Aaa-choo! Yes, You Are Allergic to Pot! And 9 other Fun Facts About Weed

The Cannabis plant, which has three species: Cannabis indica, Cannabis sativa, and Cannabis ruderalis can grow to 16 feet high. In his book titled Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Potential author Ethan Russo discuss that the cannabis plant originated in the Central Asian steppe and was first cultivated in India and China. The flower buds, stems, leaves, and extracts from the cannabis plant can be brewed in tea, eaten, or it can also be vaporized using an e-cigarette pen. A 2015 study conducted by Yale University shows that one in five e-cigarette users also have vaporized Cannabis or byproducts like hash oil using the device. Read on for some of the more interesting fun facts about her 'highness' recreational marijuana.

Recreational Marijuana Fun Facts

10. Marijuana is A Tax Bonanza

Various studies and collected data from the 'green states' that have legalized the use of marijuana show that the cannabis industry is booming and generates top dollar in federal and state tax revenues per year. Take Michigan, which became the 10th state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The state will generate roughly $737.9 million in additional tax revenue in the first four years of legalization. A 2010 study estimated the legalization of Cannabis in all states would generate $8.7 billion in taxes. That's a new level of 'high.'

9. Pot is Getting Stronger

Good news for the green-fingered enthusiasts—pot is getting increasingly more robust. In 2016, scientists measured the levels of THC, in more than 38,600 samples of street weed seized over 20 years by the Drug Enforcement Agency. They discovered that the levels of THC rocketed from about 4 percent in 1995 to roughly 12 percent in 2014. Meanwhile, levels of the non-psychoactive compound CBD plummeted from 0.28 percent in 2001 to 0.15 percent in 2014. Consequently, THC levels were 14 times the level of cannabidiol in 1995; in 2014, that ratio had risen to 80. According to researchers, THC intensifies the effects of weed, so higher levels of the psychoactive compound in the drug may raise the risk of unwanted side effects, like paranoia or anxiety. However, higher levels of THC means higher prices of pot, which is why growers have been cultivating higher octane strains.

8. Aaa-choo! Yes, you can be allergic to pot

According to a 2015 review in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, cannabis plants can trigger allergic reactions in people. People can be allergic both to the plant's pollen or its smoke. While weed allergies are relatively rare, they're on the rise and have probably been underreported because the drug has long been illegal. The reported symptoms of marijuana allergies are similar to those of run-of-the-mill hay fever: sneezing, coughing, occasional hives and itchy eyes.

7. High Times in Ancient China

The oldest evidence for human consumption of Cannabis has been discovered in a 2,500-year-old cemetery in Central Asia. The Jirzankal cannabis found in the Jirzankal burials, which got researchers dazed and confused, features higher levels of THC compounds than have yet been found at any ancient site. This suggests that humans could have been intentionally cultivating specific cannabis strains for a potent high. The Jirzankal cemetery is in the northwest of China.

6. Relax, in the case of an apocalypse, there will be weed.

Buried inside a Norwegian mountain, the Global Seed Vault—colloquially known as doomsday seed vault—stockpiles back-up seeds for every one of humanity's crops-including Cannabis. Apart from the thousands of seeds of various plants, stored in the vault in case of Armageddon, the facility currently safeguards more than 21,500 cannabis seeds. Surprisingly, the vault holds more weed seeds than blueberry, asparagus, or raspberry seeds. Cannabis seeds from as many as 17 countries can be found in the vault. While allegedly North Korea has sent over 500 varieties of cannabis seed, the big weed consumer—America—still hasn't deposited any pot seeds.

5. Gender Bender

Cannabis pundits already know that various strains of marijuana affect people differently. But, not even the savviest pot smoker would have guessed that when it comes to marijuana tolerance, there might be a significant gender difference.  A study by Washington State University found that females build a higher tolerance to cannabis way easily than males do. The study was performed on mice, as females of the species can be induced to have menstrual cycles and experience shifts in hormone levels, which may be determinative to the gender bender question. The scientists found that the female showed higher sensitivity to THC during ovulation, so the dosage was adjusted down accordingly. Still, even at a low dose, within ten days, the female rats had developed a higher tolerance for Cannabis than males.  In other words: the research implies that even the most cannabis-sensitive woman can easily outperform the male cannabis user.  Girls, is this true?  Boys, is this true?

4. The First E-commerce Was a Drugs Deal

It turns out online highs are as old as the internet, as the first thing bought and sold online was a baggie of pot – over 40 years ago. In 1972, a couple of bored and ambitious Stanford students engaged in a commercial transaction with their counterparts at MIT, using Arpanet accounts. The students used the platform to arrange the sale quietly, and unknowingly made the first 'online drug deal.' Take notes Amazon.

3. Beer is a Distant Cousin of Cannabis

According to a recent study, your favorite brew and bud have a bit more in common than you previously thought. A study published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research found that about 28 million years ago, Cannabis as we know it today "lost a sibling" —and that sibling was called Humulus. The flowers of Humulus called hops are commonly used as a flavoring for beer. While hops is a central component of beer, it's not an intoxicating ingredient.

2. Holy Rastafarians can say Jah Bless in Italy

Rastafarians in Italy are allowed to possess pot, as it's part of their religion. Back in 2008, Italy's Court of Cassation ruled that since the Rastafari religion considers Cannabis a sacrament, its believers should be offered consideration, when it comes to possession. Rastafarians believe that the cannabis plant has holy powers and frequently use it during meditation sessions to enhance a sense of spirituality. A short prayer is usually recited before it is smoked.

1. Shakespeare was a pothead!?

To Puff or not to puff, the question is now, but as it seems, that was not much of a dilemma for the western literature's most renowned poet. Back in 2001, a team of anthropologists in South Africa put under the microscope 24 "tobacco pipe" fragments from Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon property. Eight of the fragments tested positive for marijuana residue, and two of Peruvian coca leaves. Moreover, Sonnet 76 contains some suspicious references to "compounds strange."  Why with the time do I not glance aside To new-found methods, and to compounds strange? Why write I still all one, ever the same, And keep invention in a noted weed, That every word doth almost tell my name, Showing their birth, and where they did proceed?