Cannabis history in Afghanistan
Everyone has heard legends about afghan kush, or afghan hash, but what is the real history of cannabis in Afghanistan? It is believed that Afghanistan has one of the oldest continuous cannabis cultures in the world. Much of the historical basis for Afghanistan and cannabis comes from the legendary tales of Baba Ku, who centuries ago, roamed the mountains of central and south Asia using cannabis and hashish to treat those in need. In more recent decades "babas," local spiritual teachers, preserve the ethos of Baba Ku through the use and distribution of hashish. Cannabis became a cultural norm during the Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), where many leaders of the time encouraged the cultivation, production and use of cannabis and hashish. The 1960's saw a influx of western hippies in a movement called the "Hippie Trail" seeking Afghanistan for their indifference to cannabis laws. However in 1970's we saw a crackdown on cannabis after a hotel in Kabul was raided, resulting in the arrest of a new class of global drug traffickers. These men specifically sought Afghanistan's hashish to bring to a western market.
Cannabis in Afghanistan today:
While it is still illegal to possess or grow cannabis in Afghanistan, the cannabis culture is still thriving. With many rural towns and villages it is hard to enforce this law. The growing season in the spring in summer coincides with the growing season of other crops which presents significant challenges for authorities to differentiate the different crops from the cannabis plants. They can also intersperse them inside the crops to further hide it. Many people claim that Afghanistan is the number one exporter of hashish to the world, however these data figures are hard to track down due to the volatility of the area.