Part 2: From Stigma To Science — The Global Cannabis Awakening

By Prof. MarkAnthony Nze

 For more than a century, cannabis was not merely misunderstood; it was vilified. A plant once revered in medicine, industry, and ritual was turned into a symbol of vice and criminality. The world’s relationship with cannabis became one of contradiction, a natural compound capable of healing pain and anxiety, yet branded a gateway to moral collapse. What began as colonial propaganda hardened into international law, and what followed was a global war on both plants and people.

The story of cannabis is the story of power: who defines truth, who controls knowledge, and who profits from ignorance. Its criminalization was never grounded in science. It was a political decision dressed as morality, a war declared not against a substance but against communities who used it.