7 of the most surprising uses of cannabis

It’s not just about getting high (Source: Alamy / Getty Images Credit: METRO/mylo

By Emily Shackleton

We probably think we know why most people want cannabis legalised. People just want to get high right?
That anyway, or for its medicinal properties. Cannabis has long been used as pain relief and many believe there are plenty more medical uses for it.
But it turns out mankind has been using the plant in a number of other unusual and inventive ways you might not have thought of.
Here are some of the surprising ways we’ve been using this Class B drug – or could use in the future.
For the record, cannabis is illegal and people found in possession of the drug could face up to five years in prison.

1) Killing cancer cells

Could cannabis save lives? (Photo: Dr. Cecil Fox )

Studies in mice and rats have shown that cannabis might help in cancer treatment, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Cannabinoids, the chemical compounds in cannabis, may be able to kill cancer cells by causing cell death, blocking cell growth and the development of of blood vessels needed by tumours to grow and protecting normal cells.
Another study in mice moreover suggested that they may reduce the risk of colon cancer by protecting against inflammation in the colon.

2) To alleviate the pain of pets

Even your beloved dog can benefit (Photo: Franca/Flickr)

Marijuana helps to relieve people’s pain and troubles of the mind. So, as some owners think, why not help their pets too?
This was certainly what the owner of the 12-year-old Labrador retriever mix Miles who was dying very slowly from cancer thought.
After being given medical marijuana, Miles gained back his appetite, stopped vomiting and began walking and running according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

3) Sails and clothing

Cannabis made sails that could withstand those Atlantic winds (Picture: John Christian Schetky/Wikipedia)

Believe it or not, there was an actual law in the US in 1619 insisting on the growth of the hemp plant where cannabis comes from.
The Virginia Assembly passed legislation that required farmers to grow it.
It was used in America, which at that point was only 13 colonies large to make clothing and sails.

4) Parachutes

Parachutes open overhead as waves of paratroops land in Holland during operations by the 1st Allied Airborne Army (Photo: Wikipedia)

Hemp was also used in the Second World War to make parachutes when other resources became scarce.
It was needed so much that the U.S Department of Agriculture had a ‘Hemp for Victory’ programme that encouraged farmers to plant hemp by giving out seeds.
By 1943, 375,000 acres of hemp had been harvested.

5) As legal tender

Imagine paying for milk with this…? (Photo: Psychonaught/Wikipedia)

America didn’t just use it for sails – it was even a form of currency at some point.
After the 1619 legislation, hemp was allowed to be exchanged as legal tender in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland

6) A deity

Here is the First Church of Cannabis, established in June 2015 (Photo: Ayjazz/Wikipedia)

Earlier this year cannabis became an idol of worship after the the First Church of Cannabis was set up in Indiana.
While the church wouldn’t sell what the ‘Cannabeterians’ call ‘the healing plant’, it will allow members to smoke the substance inside.
They even have a version of their own ten commandments, called the Deity Dozen.

The First Church of Cannabis' Deity Dozen

1. Don’t be an a**h***. Treat everyone with love as an equal.
2. The day starts with your smile every morning, when you get up, wear it first.
3. Help others when you can. Not for money, but because it’s needed.
4. Treat your body as a temple. Do not poison it with poor quality foods and sodas.
5. Do not take advantage of people. Do not intentionally hurt anything.
6. Never start a fight … only finish them.
7. Grow food, raise animals, get nature into your daily routine.
8. Do not be a “troll” on the Internet, respect others without name calling and being vulgarly aggressive.
9. Spend at least 10 minutes a day just contemplating life in a quiet space.
10. When you see a bully… stop them by any means possible. Protect those who cannot protect themselves.
11. Laugh often, share humor. Have fun in life, be positive.
12. Cannabis. “the healing plant” is our sacrament. It brings us closer to ourselves and others. It is our fountain of health, our love, curing us from illness and depression. We embrace it with our whole heart and spirit, individually and as a group.

7) As rope to transport the Easter Island statues

Cannabis got these here (Photo: Arian Zwegers/Wikipedia)

It is thought that hemp ropes made from from fibres of marijuana were used to transport the distinct giant stone statues on Easter Island.
Archeologists in 2012 even recreated the method with reproductions of the statues from the island. The team of 18 people were able to move the stone 328 feet using three hemp ropes.