Although cannabis (cannabis sativa) does not grow wild in Greece, it has been known since ancient time and was cultivated for its use as a source of oil, food, hemp for rope and cloth, and for its medicinal properties. The first record that we have is from Herodotus who also made reference to its ceremonial use as a mood-enhancing substance. Interestingly, the ancient literature sources refer to the uses of leaves, stem and seeds of the plant but not to the inflorescence which nowadays is the main source of both the medicinal and recreational products from the plant.
Historically, the plant has been exploited for its hypnotic, sedative, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory characterisitics, while, more recently, much research has been devoted to other areas of medicine such as cancer and AIDS. Among the hundreds constituents of the cannabis plant, THC, CBD and terpenes and the medicinal uses of these are currently attracting serious attention.
![Cannabis sativa](<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cannabis_sativa_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-026.jpg">Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
The name hemp, or industrial hemp, is nowadays usually reserved for cannabis varieties with less than 0.3% THC and permission for its cultivation is often more readily obtained. Hemp plants are used to provide a number of materials other than those with medicinal applications. These include fabrics, building materials, and hemp oil for culinary purposes. Nowadays, cultivation of the plant for recreational use is not currently permitted in Greece and cultivation for medicinal use is very strictly regulated..