# Recreational marijuana use in Colonial America

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recreational-marijuana-use-in-colonial-america/608897>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 9, 2012, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recreational-marijuana-use-in-colonial-america/608897 "2012-01-09T06:08:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recreational-marijuana-use-in-colonial-america/608897/21 "2012-01-10T22:09:01Z")

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> [@cochrane](#):
>
> According to the documentary “Dazed and Confused,” Martha Washington always had a big fat bowl waiting for George as soon as he walked in the door.

Great post/user name combo.

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**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recreational-marijuana-use-in-colonial-america/608897/22 "2012-01-11T12:23:56Z")

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> [@hajario](#):
>
> The buds are smoked, not the leaves.

These days… but that was not exclusively the case 40 years ago.

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**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recreational-marijuana-use-in-colonial-america/608897/23 "2012-01-11T13:08:17Z")

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I believe that the smoking weed was only an “American Indian” [thing](http://www.old-picture.com/indians/Sioux-Indian-with-Pipe.htm) at the time. They appear to have gotten a kick out of burning just about anything, huffing away at it and encouraging [others](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Gentlemen_Smoking_and_Playing_Backgammon_in_an_Interior.jpg) to do the same. Just like [kids](http://lh6.ggpht.com/hydmastipics/SH9ldQg1WeI/AAAAAAAAU0s/70scpUwC7hI/179554image002.jpg) do today.

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**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recreational-marijuana-use-in-colonial-america/608897/24 "2012-01-11T17:46:58Z")

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[The Straight Dope: Did George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grow marijuana?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2912/did-george-washington-and-thomas-jefferson-grow-marijuana)

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recreational-marijuana-use-in-colonial-america/608897/25 "2012-01-11T17:49:26Z")

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One of the tour guides told our group that Laudanum was the drug of choice at Mt. Vernon.

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