Curiously Incensed

It seems like a long time ago that I was doing research on medicines and drugs as part of a course I was teaching. I came across some interesting information on the origins of the word cannabis. All sources seem to agree that it was the Greeks who first used the word in the form kannabis but that it seems to be descended from or related to words such as the Assyrian qunubu, Hebrew qanneb and so on (transliterations vary).

All this seemed oddly familiar to me. The Sanskrit cana (and its derivatives) eventually became the English 'cane', and via hana-, became 'hemp'. It's also related to 'canvas', which was originally made from hemp. And right smack in the middle of the Book of Exodus, in Exodus 30:22-25, I came across this passage:

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia — all according to the sanctuary shekel — and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.

The emphasized phrase 'fragrant cane' is the standard English translation of the Hebrew kaneh bosm. The King James Version substitutes 'calamus' instead, but I don't see how you can make incense from that.

Verses 30-33 of that chapter continue with:

"Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, 'This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume [or 'compounds material'] like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people.' "

It sounds like an early instance of drug control by centralised authority. However, it should be noted that until the last century, the use of the plant Cannabis sativa was a widespread phenomenon. The plant is the second most nutritious crop after soya beans, and it grows almost anywhere, even in Siberia. Every part of the plant is useful as a food or material product. Of course, some have recreational uses for it too.

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Note: I do not endorse, and would actually caution against, the indiscriminate bodily intake of any kinds of pharmaceutical compounds without adequate medical controls or advice. This post should not be taken as an endorsement of consumption or overconsumption of intoxicating or hallucinogenic chemicals, whether they are phenylethylamine derivatives (including opiates and ergot derivatives), cannabinols or very small molecules such as ethanol.