The Emperor Wears No Clothes

by Jack Herer

Hemp & the Scythe

Cannabis was undoubtedly used by the Scythians for many reasons. For example, the ancient Scythians grew hemp and harvested it with a hand reaper that we still call a scythe. Cannabis inhalation by the Scythians in funeral rituals was recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus in the early 5th century B.C. The nomadic Scythians introduced the custom to other races such as the Thracians.

(Emboden, W.A., Jr., Flesh of the Gods, Praeger Press, NY, 1974.)

From at least the 27th century B.C. up until this century, cannabis was incorporated into virtually all the cultures of the Middle East, Asia Minor, India, China, Japan, Europe, and Africa for its superior fiber, medicines, oils, food and for its meditative, euphoric, and relaxational uses.