People love consuming marijuana. They always have, and they always will. So, it should come as no surprise the figures we studied in school dabbled in the recreational (and medicinal!) cannabis scene. Here are 10 historical figures who consumed cannabis. Here are some of the most notable examples, from George Washington to Joan of Arc.

George Washington

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After founding our nation, Washington retired to a farm in Mount Vernon. There, he mostly grew hemp. Entries in Washington’s diary strongly suggest he had an affinity for the medical use of marijuana. 

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy, having claimed to receive visions and messages from the Archangel Michael. Although there’s no written record of Joan of Arc consuming cannabis, she came from a village that was well-known for its medicinal herbs,  including cannabis.

Shakespeare

At Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-Upon-Avon, researchers found clay pipes with cannabis residue. When you combine that with the mention of a ‘noted weed’ in one of his sonnets, it’s not hard to imagine Shakespeare enjoying a hand-rolled while doing his writing. Hamlet does seem like the classic stoner.

Alexandre Dumas

Although known primarily for The Three Musketeers andThe Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas was also a hash enthusiast. In fact, he even helped found an organization called the Club des Hashishchins. In English? The Club of Hash-Eaters.

Pharaohs of Egypt

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Egyptian civilization lasted nearly 3000 years, during which time a great number of pharaohs ruled the land around the Nile. When researchers examined the mummy of Ramesses II, cannabis pollen was found in abundance. In addition, medical records from the Egyptians also describe numerous uses for cannabis.

JFK

This one isn’t exactly a secret. Predating the drug war, JFK was said to use marijuana to cope with back pain. In fact, one account from John F. Kennedy: A Biography tells of JFK enjoying three joints with a woman named Mary Meyer.

Carl Sagan

At age 35, astronomer Carl Sagan wrote an essay under a pen name advocating for the legalization of marijuana. In fact, his wife even served on the board of directors at NORML.

Christopher Columbus

When Columbus set sail for the New World, it’s said that he made sure to bring plenty of cannabis seeds. If his crew were to get shipwrecked or marooned, at least they could plant some crops.

Hua Tuo

You may not have heard of him, but Hua Tuo is known for having invented the world’s first anesthetic. The recipe? Powdered cannabis mixed with wine. While it’s not great by modern medicine’s standards, it does sound like a good time.

Queen Victoria

Despite being a symbol of everything prim and proper, Queen Victoria was certainly given cannabis for its medicinal purposes. In fact, her private doctor even went on record as saying: “When pure and administered carefully, [cannabis] is one of the most valuable medicines we possess.”

People love consuming marijuana. They always have, and they always will. So, it should come as no surprise the figures we studied in school dabbled in the recreational (and medicinal!) cannabis scene. Here are 10 historical figures who loved cannabis. Here are some of the most notable examples, from George Washington to Joan of Arc.

George Washington

RELATED: 5 Pro-Tips To Come Down From A Marijuana High Quickly

After founding our nation, Washington retired to a farm in Mount Vernon. There, he mostly grew hemp. Entries in Washington’s diary strongly suggest he had an affinity for the medical use of marijuana. 

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy, having claimed to receive visions and messages from the Archangel Michael. Although there’s no written record of Joan of Arc consuming cannabis, she came from a village that was well-known for its medicinal herbs,  including cannabis.

Shakespeare

At Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-Upon-Avon, researchers found clay pipes with cannabis residue. When you combine that with the mention of a ‘noted weed’ in one of his sonnets, it’s not hard to imagine Shakespeare enjoying a hand-rolled while doing his writing. Hamlet does seem like the classic stoner.

Alexandre Dumas

Although known primarily for The Three Musketeers andThe Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas was also a hash enthusiast. In fact, he even helped found an organization called the Club des Hashishchins. In English? The Club of Hash-Eaters.

Pharaohs of Egypt

RELATED: These 10 Celebs Shamelessly Love Weed More Than You

Egyptian civilization lasted nearly 3000 years, during which time a great number of pharaohs ruled the land around the Nile. When researchers examined the mummy of Ramesses II, cannabis pollen was found in abundance. In addition, medical records from the Egyptians also describe numerous uses for cannabis.

JFK

This one isn’t exactly a secret. Predating the drug war, JFK was said to use marijuana to cope with back pain. In fact, one account from John F. Kennedy: A Biography tells of JFK enjoying three joints with a woman named Mary Meyer.

Carl Sagan

At age 35, astronomer Carl Sagan wrote an essay under a pen name advocating for the legalization of marijuana. In fact, his wife even served on the board of directors at NORML.

Christopher Columbus

When Columbus set sail for the New World, it’s said that he made sure to bring plenty of cannabis seeds. If his crew were to get shipwrecked or marooned, at least they could plant some crops.

Hua Tuo

You may not have heard of him, but Hua Tuo is known for having invented the world’s first anesthetic. The recipe? Powdered cannabis mixed with wine. While it’s not great by modern medicine’s standards, it does sound like a good time.

Queen Victoria

Despite being a symbol of everything prim and proper, Queen Victoria was certainly given cannabis for its medicinal purposes. In fact, her private doctor even went on record as saying: “When pure and administered carefully, [cannabis] is one of the most valuable medicines we possess.”

Hashish has been referred to in stories from ancient times.  Exotic locales like Tangiers, Egypt, the far east…all with whiffs of smokey clouds and a relaxed air.  But what is hashish and is it still consumed today?

Hashish, also known as hash, is a concentrated form of cannabis that has been used for centuries for its psychoactive effects.

Cannabis has a long history of cultivation and use, dating back thousands of years. The use of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes can be traced back to ancient civilizations in Asia, including China and India. Hashish, specifically, originated in the Middle East and North Africa, where it was traditionally made by collecting the resinous material from cannabis plants.

The person to make hashish known in Europe was Napoleon Bonaparte. The famed French military and political leader. In 1798, Napoleon invaded Egypt with a scientific expedition team.  They conquered the country and looted treasure to bring back to Louvre he remade it to the trove of art known today.

They made another discovery of hashish which had great effect on European culture and literary thought. Prior to the French campaign in Egypt, hashish wasn’t well known in Europe and certainly wasn’t commonly used. The 40,000 French troops stationed in Egypt, however, quickly learned about it. Hashish was ubiquitous in Egypt Hashish was ubiquitous, bought and sold in cafés, markets, and smoking lounges. Lacking access to their customary French wines and liquors and encouraged by Napoleon to embrace Egyptian culture, many French troops took up hashish. When they returned to France and Europe with hashish, it was introduced to a new audience. The public loved it.

Despite efforts by authorities in Europe to paint hashish as an unstable and dangerous substance, many of the Romantic period’s most accomplished artists and writers were brought together because of cannabis. Dubbing themselves Le Club des Hachichins (Hashish-Eaters’ Club), luminaries such as Théophile Gautier, Charles Baudelaire, Gérard de Nerval, Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, and Alexandre Dumas meet an extoll hashish. The Creative set helped normalized marijuana use and popularized the Romantic era’s bohemian creed: l’art pour l’art (art for art’s sake).  Some things never change.

Today, it is recognized as a form of cannabis that contains concentrated amounts of THC, the psychoactive compound. It is often produced by collecting the resinous material from the cannabis plant and then drying and compressing it into various forms. A potent form, it is not suggested for the canna-newbie.

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Smoking hashish can be done in several ways, but the pipe remains the most preferred method of all. Pipes have been around for hundreds of years and were used even by the ancient Egyptians. Another easy way is to take your “hash” and roll it into a joint.

Hashish a ancient and powerful cannabis, so be ready for the journey.