Religious use of cannabis dates back thousands of years, including accounts of consuming hashish-infused bhang found in the oldest Hindu scriptural texts, and in even earlier shamanic traditions.

To get in touch with the spiritual side of this revered (and maligned) plant, we talk with Mark S. Ferrara, an associate professor at State University of New York and author of the fascinating book Sacred Bliss: A Spiritual History of Cannabis. 

We discuss ceremonial cannabis use in antiquity, and also helpful ways to integrate cannabis into your own spiritual practice—of any kind. 

Check out the GMIWH archives for episodes called "The High Hindu Holiday" and "Did Jesus Use Cannabis to Perform Healing Miracles?" for more on spiritual cannabis use in the ancient world. And try the episode "Peter Tosh Gets Lit & Burns Down the Shitstem" for a capsule history of cannabis as a sacrament of the Rastafari faith.

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