Cannabis in Ancient Asia: A Talk at the Asian Art Museum

It was such an honor to be the Keynote speaker at the world-renowned Asian Art Museum for their At the Table series. I had a great time unpacking our fascinating cannabis history in Ancient Asia that included a Q&A session with Felicity Chen of Potli. It was truly a special experience to be on stage talking about ancestral cannabis and cannabis being used as Traditional Chinese Medicine.

This incredibly versatile plant evolved about 28 million years ago on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. More than 4,000 years ago, Chinese farmers used it for oil and fibers. Over 2,500 years ago, the Chinese used it for medicinal, spiritual, and recreational purposes.

The audience was incredibly engaged and asked pertinent questions. I hope I was able to shift some perceptions of cannabis use in our AAPI community and deepen understanding of its healing properties. Right now, there are advocacy groups and leaders in the industry that are doing their part to course-correct and open up conversations about cannabis. I was a part of the Asian Americans for Cannabis Education founding team back in 2015 for this very reason. We wanted be a responsible face for cannabis users and we wanted to help dispel myths and stigmas around this beneficial plant.

2019 is extremely exciting because there are so many groups now that are opening doors for people of color to join the industry and to educate their communities. Please check out my resources page to get more information on how you can get involved. My talk will also be available to view on the Asian Art Museum’s YouTube in the near future.

There’s still so much history left to uncover and I’d love to continue sharing our knowledge and culture—please let me know if your local art museum or Asian art museum would be interested in this talk!