Cannabis, Sacred and Profane

Cannabis is arguably the most popular illicit psychoactive substance in the world. It is also one of the oldest cultivated, multipurpose plants. Whether we think of its use in rope and cloth, in building materials, in medicinal preparations, in food and drink, as a magico-religious aid, or as a recreational intoxicant, throughout history, somewhere on the planet, humans have been weaving, twisting, compressing, rolling, baking, eating, drinking, and smoking cannabis. However, for much of the modern period in Western societies, our relationship with cannabis has been increasingly complex and difficult. It has been demonized, sacralized, and normalized. After introducing cannabis and the ways in which it has been used in Western societies, drawing on work done in cultural sociology, this book addresses three broad areas. Firstly, in a discussion of cannabis as profane, it examines discourses of demonization and the formative influences on those discourses, not least Christianity and racism. Secondly, it looks at the emergence of medicinal cannabis since the nineteenth century and the ways in which this has contributed both to its normalization and to its sacralization. Finally, the book concludes with a discussion of sacred cannabis, focusing particularly on its sacramental use within occultism, Rastafari, and several cannabis churches. The deceptively straightforward aim of the book is to provide an understanding of cannabis and its relationship to modern Western culture.