The USA has a long history of cannabis use before California and Humboldt
Early classifications
Relative size of varieties of
Cannabis
The
Cannabis genus was first
classified using the "modern" system of taxonomic
nomenclature by
Carolus Linnaeus in 1753, who devised the system still in use for the naming of species.
[37] He considered the genus to be monotypic, having just a single species that he named
Cannabis sativa L. (L. stands for Linnaeus, and indicates the authority who first named the species). Linnaeus was familiar with European hemp, which was widely cultivated at the time. In 1785, noted evolutionary biologist
Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck published a description of a second species of
Cannabis, which he named
Cannabis indica Lam.
[38] Lamarck based his description of the newly named species on plant specimens collected in India. He described
C. indica as having poorer fiber quality than
C. sativa, but greater utility as an
inebriant. Additional
Cannabis species were proposed in the 19th century, including strains from China and Vietnam (Indo-China) assigned the names
Cannabis chinensis Delile, and
Cannabis gigantea Delile ex Vilmorin.
[39] However, many taxonomists found these putative species difficult to distinguish. In the early 20th century, the single-species concept was still widely accepted, except in the
Soviet Union where
Cannabis continued to be the subject of active taxonomic study. The name
Cannabis indica was listed in various
Pharmacopoeias, and was widely used to designate
Cannabis suitable for the manufacture
