Most of us today may doubt if the great English bard ever
used it for legitimate medicinal purposes, but is there any proof that William
Shakespeare ever used marijuana?
By: Ringo Bones
There had been some anecdotal evidence floating around since
the 16th Century that William Shakespeare already used marijuana on
a recreational basis a number of years before his marriage to Anne Hathaway of
Stratford back in November 28, 1582. Well there’s even “rumors” that the 420 /
April 20 global fraternity of marijuana users chose 420 / April 20 as an
“auspicious date” because William Shakespeare’s true date of birth was believed
to be on April 20, 1564. But the question now is: Are there any proof that
William Shakespeare used marijuana for recreational and/or creativity enhancing
purposes?
Used and disposed of marijuana smoking paraphernalia – that
looks and are made of 16th Century materials – were recently dug up (back
in 2011) in the gardens of Shakespeare’s childhood home at Stratford-on-Avon in
Warwickshire and on the New Place – the house with a matching large garden
which Shakespeare purchased and renovated back in 1597 in Stratford from the
money he earned from his literary and live dramatic works. Even though whether
or not the great English bard actually used these discarded glass-made
marijuana smoking paraphernalia will probably never be proven beyond the shadow
of a doubt, radiocarbon dating test results have shown that they date from
Shakespeare’s time. And they contain significant amounts of delta-9 tetra hydro
cannabinol residue confirming that they are actually used for marijuana smoking
purposes; which might explain the somewhat quirky and gripping nature of
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.