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Where did the cannabis come from? Its wild beginnings remain unknown. But by looking at the plant’s genes, we can identify its closest living relative. Hops, which we use for beer is the closest existing species to cannabis. Plant genetics estimated that some 28 million years ago cannabis and hops plants diverged. Today, cannabis contains special compounds cannabidiol, molecules like THC, which can make someone high, and CBD. And we know that the cannabidiols appeared in cannabis, but hops don’t have them. This means that cannabidiols appeared after cannabis split from hops. We’re not sure if or how the evolution of these compounds benefited cannabis, but they may have protected the plants against the UV light or kept it from begin eaten. Whatever the reason, humans were started growing cannabis for different uses. We do that there are many different ancient cultures that have been using it for a long time. For example, the Chinese, the Greeks, the Romans, the Indians have used it for medical purposes, but also for industrial purposes, ropes, and canvases, they would use it for paper and also for medicinal and ritual purposes. By studying the genes of over 100 different varieties of cannabis, genetics estimated that around 12000 years ago, the wild cannabis plant broke into two lineages, one of which was likely bred for crops