Cannabis may have originated in China: Study  

According to a study, the earliest roots of cannabis may have been stemmed from northwestern China and not South Asia as it was commonly believed earlier.

The cannabis sativa species is likely to be emerged in the region during Neolithic era (10,000-3,000 BC), the researchers said on Friday in a news release by the journal ‘Science Advances’, where the study was published. The 'much beloved and maligned plant' is widely used as a recreational drug.

One of the first plants domesticated by humans, cannabis has a long history of being utilised in textiles, food, etc, the study said. Nowadays, several nations are mulling over legalising marijuana use.

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A team led by researchers in Switzerland and China compiled around 110 whole genomes in order to trace the origins of cannabis. It covered a spectrum of different wild-growing feral plants, domesticated varieties and modern hybrids of hemp and psychoactive forms of the plant with higher levels of the compound Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Meanwhile, a recent study from the US National Institutes of Health has found that cannabis is linked with a higher probability of youngsters thinking about suicide.

The study published in the journal JAMA Network Open on Tuesday collected data of more than 281,000 people aged 18 to 34. These participants answered questions related to cannabis use or disorder, major depressive episodes and suicidality, which include suicidal ideation, plans or attempts in the last year.

Participants who have been unable to control cannabis use, used cannabis for a longer period than thought, and stopped important tasks because of cannabis, among others are kept under the category of cannabis use disorder.

In fact, people who claimed they didn't consume cannabis every day, or fewer than 300 days per year, "were more likely to have suicidal ideation and to plan or attempt suicide than those who did not use the drug at all," the researchers noted.