Meet the Cannabis Plant: Exploring the Evolutionary History and Lifecycle of Cannabis | Feature #11

CAC feature episodes are back after a 2 year hiatus! In our 11th feature production – we dive into the science of the Cannabis lifecycle. We start with looking at the evolutionary history of Cannabis before we switch gears and look at how Cannabis is cultivated, dried and cured. We dive into the science involved in many of the changes Cannabis undergoes in its journey to a consumer’s grinder.

I hope you enjoy our return to feature episodes – I have many more planned!

If you’re curious about Cannabis, visit www.cacpodcast.com and check out more podcast episodes and educational content including courses, books, and more!

Stay curious and take it easy!

Show Notes / Transcription:

“It’s a plant that goes by many names. Some call it hemp. Some call it marijuana. Call it what you will, it’s cannabis. And it’s got a lot of people curious.

But what do you really know about the Cannabis plant and how it makes its way to your grinder? In this episode we will be taking things back to their roots, as we explore the science of the Cannabis plant’s lifecycle.

So get ready to get dirty as we meet the Cannabis plant!

[INTRO]

These days Cannabis is big business. It wasn’t that long ago that Cannabis was almost an entirely underground industry. Very few people were willing to talk openly about it, and those that did often had to disguise their identities to do so. Today Cannabis is legal in some form or another in most states in the United States as well as Canada, Mexico and many other countries around the world.

More people are using Cannabis than ever before. Chances are, if you are listening to this podcast, there is a strong possibility you are one of these people. But what do you really know about how that little Cannabis bud in your child-resistant pop top container got there. Every Cannabis flower has a story to tell.

In this episode we are going to follow the lifecycle of a Cannabis plant from early evolution, to seed all the way to consumption and chart out many of the fascinating bits of science that are involved along the way.

And to guide our curious quest, we will focus on a few key questions:

One, what is Cannabis and how did it get here? Where does it fit in the big kingdom of plants?

Two, How does a harvested Cannabis plant turn into the perfectly manicured, aromatic, resinous buds that you might find at a dispensary?

Three, How does the chemistry of Cannabis change over time from the moment it is harvested to the moment it reaches the hands of a consumer?

And now, without further ado, let’s get started!

So, what is Cannabis?

Cannabis is a genus – which is one rank above species – and it belongs to the Cannabaceae family, which includes up to 9 or 10 other genera, like Humulus, which you are already familiar with if you are a beer drinker, because Humulus lupus, or hops, is commonly used to flavor beer.[1]

Recent research examining fossilized pollen from around the world has indicated that Cannabis and Humulus split from the same ancient ancestor approximately 30 million years ago.[2]

The Cannabis plant is thought to have really started is evolutionary journey somewhere around the Tibetan Plateau in Asia.[3] From there it moved around, following humans wherever we went, traveling from Western Asia up into Eastern Europe[4], back down into Asia, West into Africa and Western Europe. Then on to South America, Atlantic and Pacific Islands and finally North America.

Cannabis is thought to be one of the earliest ethnobotanical plants that humans have relied on for food, materials, and medicines. The seeds have been eaten for their nutritional value for thousands of years. There are reports of Cannabis being used for religious and recreational purposes going back at least five thousand years ago.[5] [6] Because of its value as a multi-functional botanical, humans throughout history have stewarded the Cannabis plant.

In each of the places where Cannabis has travelled, it has naturalized. It doesn’t actually take very long for Cannabis to adapt to a new environment. Reportedly this can happen in as few as 50 generations.[7] Given that Cannabis is generally an annual plant, that’s just 50 years or so. In the context of evolutionary history, this is a flash. These different varieties of Cannabis that have naturalized to unique geographical areas are called “landrace” varieties. Forgive the unfortunate terminology – it is what it is.

[ANGUS]

This is Angus of The Real Seed Company. He has traveled all over the world studying landrace Cannabis varieties.

[ANGUS]

So...