# What did oldworlders smoke before contact? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-oldworlders-smoke-before-contact/224093 "2004-01-12T01:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![labmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f19dbf/32.png) [@labmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-oldworlders-smoke-before-contact/224093/1 "2004-01-12T01:38:44Z")
I don’t recall ever hearing accounts by European sources in which the author expresses surprise or unfamiliarity with the act of smoking, even though tobacco was unknown in the old world until after contact with the natives of N. America. What were they smoking? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-oldworlders-smoke-before-contact/224093/2 "2004-01-12T01:49:57Z")
I don’t know how great a source [this](http://www.cuban-cigars.ws/cigars/cigars.html) is, but it offers: > [@](#): > > Columbus’ crew quickly became accustomed to smoking the cigar and brought back samples of the “Golden Leaf” to Spain. Initially, the smoking of cigars was considered a pagan ritual punished by imprisonment. In fact, one of Columbus’ crew members was imprisoned for smoking. I’d heard a tale in college that the above mentioned crew member’s wife had imagined he’d been possessed by the devil when she saw him exhaling smoke. No cite. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-oldworlders-smoke-before-contact/224093/3 "2004-01-12T13:19:30Z")
Hashish? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-oldworlders-smoke-before-contact/224093/4 "2004-01-12T13:26:55Z")
According to a book I read, marijuana had been occasionally smoked in pipes in western Europe long before tobacco arrived. However, I have also read treatises expressing disgust at the arrival of the smoking habit, if not surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-oldworlders-smoke-before-contact/224093/5 "2004-01-12T13:46:32Z")
The Scythians used to smoke hemp, or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-oldworlders-smoke-before-contact/224093/6 "2004-01-12T13:52:50Z")
What were they smoking? Herring! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-oldworlders-smoke-before-contact/224093/7 "2004-01-12T13:58:28Z")
Don’t forget those crazy opium pipes.