Throughout history, Cannabis and hemp have had their fair share of unsung heroes. Still, many of these heroes are forgotten by time for the most part, but without the unsung heroes, medicinal research of cannabis and hemp may not have happened and without the increase in the medicinal space, legal recreational use by adults would have been slowed greatly, if not stopped all together. In this article, we will cover 3 of those heroes today: a Victorian doctor who introduced Cannabis to western medicine, an organic chemist the government had no choice but to accept, and possibly the most famous name in Cannabis. These are 3 unsung heroes of weed.
W.B. O’Shaughnessy
A young Irish assistant surgeon set out for India in 1833 and ended up being the first noted cannabis researcher while introducing cannabis to western medicine. The 24-year-old O’Shaughnessy had failed to acquire his license to practice medicine from London College of Physicians and Surgeons and turned his focus to medical research. While in India, he would notice cannabis being used as an intoxicant by the natives. He witnessed the effects it displayed and started experimenting with the plant in hopes of using it as an anesthetic. In 1839, he published his findings in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 1. That article introduced cannabis as a medical treatment and set in motion the curiosity and love for the plant that has led us to where we stand today.
Roger Adams
In 1889, 50 years after O’Shaughnessy published his first medical findings on cannabis, Roger Adams, our first respected modern cannabis researcher, was born in Boston. Adams quickly rose in the ranks of organic chemistry. He and his team were the first to identify, isolate, and synthesize many of the compounds we all know and love today.2 Like O’Shaughnessy, he wanted to use these compounds as forms of anesthetic to be used in field combat. This didn’t come without adversity of course. Adams witnessed the tragedy that comes with world war and the second one was on the way. North America was gathering its top scientists for the war effort and Adams was near the top of that list. However, J Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI as a “Suspect American Citizen” and advised the Navy to refuse him security clearance. In the end, Adams would develop a synthetic rubber compound that helped win the war, he was granted security clearance, and allowed to continue his research as he saw fit.
Jack Herer
Most cannabis consumers have heard the name, but few know why. Jack Herer is known more for the strain of cannabis that bears his name than the deeds that inspired growers to name one after him. Commonly referred to as The Emperor of Hemp, Jack’s vocal activism for cannabis law reform made him legendary. He was a founding member of the organization Help End Marijuana Prohibition or simply H.E.M.P. In 1895, he published his book The Emperor Wears No Clothes.3 It shined a light back on other uses of the plant aside from medicinal and recreational. He stressed the importance it could have in textiles as well as alternate fuel consumption. The Emperor Wears No Clothes reinvigorated national talks of cannabis decriminalization for the first time since the early 70s. Jack would live to see the medicinal marijuana market be born and grow but passed just two years before his dream of recreational marijuana became reality.
Summation
These are just 3 of the unsung heroes of weed. There are so many more (if you guys enjoy this maybe we’ll do part 2). Or maybe we will look at the villains of marijuana in the next profile. Who knows? From the plant’s humble beginnings, there have been voices demonizing the plant and voices praising it. Only one thing is certain today. The good guys are finally winning.