Study: Cannabis First Domesticated in East Asia During Neolithic Era as ‘Multipurpose Crop’

A new study suggests that cannabis was first domesticated in East Asia during the Neolithic Era—from 3900-1700 BC—and was a “multipurpose crop” likely used for both industrial and medical purposes. The researchers indicated that “all current hemp and drug cultivars diverged from an ancestral gene pool currently represented by feral plants and landraces in China.”

“We identified candidate genes associated with traits differentiating hemp and drug cultivars, including branching pattern and cellulose/lignin biosynthesis. We also found evidence for loss of function of genes involved in the synthesis of the two major biochemically competing cannabinoids during selection for increased fiber production or psychoactive properties.” — “Large-scale whole-genome resequencing unravels the domestication history of Cannabis sativa,” July 16, 2021, Science Advances

Luca Fumagalli, an author of the study, said the hypothesis is largely based on observational data of wild examples in the region, noting that the “feral samples” found in East Asia “are not wild types.”