This timeline depicts how cannabis went from being completely legal, to being taxed, banned and becoming illegal and now to being the drug of everyone’s attention, especially in the eyes of medical patients. It lists major cannabis dates in history with regards to laws across the world, its classification status, supporters and non-supporters among powerful groups and hints at the the modern-day debate to legalise the drug. The timeline feature multimedia content including pictures, videos and tweets.

As a legal plant, the earliest known written record of cannabis use dates back to 8000 BC. In 2727 BC, Chinese Emperor Shen Nung recorded the use of cannabis as medicine for the very first time. China was using cannabis seeds and oil since 6000BC and started cultivating cannabis for food and fiber by 1500BC. The plant was not just used for medicine, but also as offerings in tombs and for bath rituals. In 430 BC,  Herodotus reported on both ritual and recreational use of Cannabis by the Scythians, a large group of Eurasian nomads, who are known to have appeared in 8th century BC.