Where does cannabis come from?

Assistant professor Chris Duvall discussed on Friday the origins of cannabis sativa, or marijuana, during the Student Organization for Latin American Studies' final Brown Bag Lecture Series.

He said the plant originated in Central Asia, spread across the continent to North Africa, and enslaved Africans brought knowledge of marijuana to Brazil. But it is unclear if they introduced the plant to South America.

"Did Africans introduce cannabis to Brazil?" he said. "My answer would be maybe. We don't have the evidence - there is simply not enough reliable information to accept or reject African-led biological diffusion."

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