For many decades in the U.S., marijuana has been painted as the psychedelic drug of hippies and stoners who lay around smoking dope to the detriment of their cognitive function. This image of marijuana use can certainly be attributed to one aspect of its culture, but Cannabis — a category of plants that include three species and seven sub-species — have been used in medicine for thousands of years.

Recently Mexico became one of the few countries to legalize marijuana cultivation and possession, joining Bangladesh, Colombia, Uruguay, and others. But in some regions, most specifically the Middle East, there is a set of strict laws when it comes to cannabis possession or cultivation.

Customs officials Tuesday discovered three tons of Captagon pills and hash at the Beirut port destined for Egypt, Lebanon's finance minister said.

Marijuana, weed, bud, herb, spliffs, ganja, wacky tobaccy — whatever you call your friendly neighborhood cannabis, it's actually got a stranger and longer history than you likely knew.

Cannabis has been used to treat topical wounds such as cuts and burns for millennia. Now, modern research is investigating the science behind cannabis’ ability to treat topical injuries, and is discovering exactly how vast a role the endocannabinoid system plays in the maintenance of healthy skin and wound healing.

Cannabis and wound healing in history

CANNABIS CULTURE - The biblical Queen of Sheba, who also appears unnamed in the Quran and is claimed by the Ethiopians as theirs, famously brought gold and spices to King Solomon, circa 950 BC. But what exactly did she bring and where was she from?

Two ancient Yemeni peoples, the Mineans and the Sabaeans, were involved in the lucrative spice trade. Some archaeologists think the Queen of Sheba was a Sabaean from the Semitic civilization of Saba (1200 BC–275 AD) in Southern Arabia, now Yemen.

Heated debate has ensued since the Cigarettes Dealers Association submitted an official request to legalize hash.

Fierce criticism of Osama Salama, chairman of the association and sponsor of the campaign, is paralleled with strong support for the initiative.

While the first camp views calls for legalization as implicit encouragement of addiction, the second stresses the financial benefits of such a move, especially in light of the high rates of consumption among Egyptians.

Salama says his request is purely pragmatic: “Hash is already widely consumed in Egypt. We might as well make it legal.”

He says the state will save billions annually if hash becomes legal.

As the debate of whether or not hashish should be legalised in Egypt reaches prominence in public discourse, we take a look at the pros of legitimising an indulgence many Egyptians already partake in.

On Sunday we shared the information that Osama Salama, head of the Cairo and Giza Tobacco Traders Association, called for the legalisation of hashish in order to help Egypt’s economy. Instantly the call was met with thousands of supporters, and the likes on the article we published has reached over 29,000, who we assume are people that agree.

If money is all that matters, we should legalise prostitution and arms trade, says researcher

The Drug Control and Addiction Treatment Fund strongly criticised the proposal submitted to the cabinet to legalise the hashish trade in Egypt on Sunday.

In response to the proposal produced by Osama Salama, head of the Cairo and Giza Tobacco Traders Association, the Ministry of Social Solidarity’s Drug Control and Addiction Treatment Fund released a statement on their official websiteexplaining that legalising hashish poses a serious threat to the Egyptian society, which is “safe by nature”. The statement claimed that the “consumption of hashish is a major factor in road accidents in Egypt” because it causes “lack of awareness to one’s surroundings”.

Spreading like wildfire across the news this morning is a statement by the Chairman of Cigarette Dealers Association, suggesting the legalisation of hash in Egypt...

Egyptians are finally waking up to the realisation that Egypt would benefit from the legalisation of the use and trade of hash. Spreading virally online this morning is a statement made by the Chairman of the Cigarette Dealers Association in Cairo and Giza, Osama Salama, who believes that the legalisation would be a fast and effective way to reduce the state budget deficit within a few years.