Humans May Have Been Stoners 300 Years Before Previous Predictions

A study shows cannabis was consumed by humans 2,800 years ago in Siberia, 300 years before previous predictions.

07 Nov 2026, 11:12 · NDTV

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Scientists dated earliest human cannabis use to 2,800 years ago in Siberia by Scythians
Cannabis found in burial tomb with gold, animal statues, daggers, human remains, and seeds
Hair samples from burial tested positive for THC and cannabinol, confirming drug use

Did cannabis use spread from Siberia to other civilizations?

Scientists have dated the earliest known human use of cannabis to 2,800 years ago in Siberia by the Scythians, an ancient group of nomadic people, according to a new study published in Science. The drug was likely used in a burial ritual at a tomb discovered in the Uyuk Valley of southern Siberia. The site, named Tunnung 1, yielded gold jewellery, animal statues, daggers, human remains, and hundreds of cannabis seeds. The presence of these seeds prompted scientists to drug-test strands of human hair they found during the excavation, which came back positive.

The study suggested that the Scythians, who once roamed the Eurasian Steppes on horseback, might have been the world's first stoners and that they were getting high, at least 300 years earlier than previously thought.

Gino Caspari, the paper's lead author and an archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena, Germany and his colleagues have been working at the burial mound since 2017. Caspari said it was "just an amazing moment" when the hair tested positive for THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, as well as cannabinol.

"There is a lot of speculation about the use of psychoactive substances in the past," said Caspari. "It is extremely rare to find real evidence for it. We bring a bit of realism into these debates, and we show that cannabis has a deep cultural history which might factor into ongoing societal discourse on legalisation and medical use."

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As per Caspari, the cannabis use in the tomb has to be seen in a ritual context. Meaning, it might be connected to "shamanistic beliefs".

“Since we have dozens of sacrificed horses and some potential human sacrifices, it might also have been used to sedate the victims before something bad happened to them, but we cannot prove that,” Caspari told CNN.

The study raises questions about marijuana's role in the culture of ancient Asia's nomadic peoples. It also provides a 'cultural anchor point' for the ongoing debates about legalisation and medical use of the plant.

Up until now, it was known that cannabis was cultivated at least 6,000 years ago for its oil-rich seeds in East Asia. However, it has been difficult to determine when exactly humans started harnessing the magical plant's psychoactive properties,

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