Cannabis has been used by various cultures throughout history for both medicinal and spiritual purposes. It was first discovered as a woven cloth at archaeological sites dating back 10,000 years, but the first written record of its use can be found in Shen Nung's pharmacopoeia. Shen Nung is credited with developing Chinese medicine based on the curative power of plants, and hemp was highly regarded in China, so much so that the country was named the "Land of Mulberry and Hemp". Hemp clothing was worn during Japanese religious ceremonies because of hemp's association with purity.

Zoroaster, the Persian prophet, is responsible for the earliest mention of the plant's use as a sacrament. For the Zoroastrians, cannabis was considered the chief religious sacrament of the priest class. In India, hemp is still made into a drink that was reputed to have been the favorite beverage of the god Indra. Later in India, cannabis was mentioned in the Atharva-Veda, a collection of Hindu magic spells, as "sacred grass" and regarded as the "source of happiness", "joy giver", and "liberator". According to Indian tradition and writings, Siddhartha used and ate nothing but hemp and its seeds for six years prior to announcing his truths and becoming the Buddha in the 5th century BC.

Cannabis also has links to Christianity through the Ethiopian Coptic Church, held to have been established by St Mark in AD 45. The Copts claim that marijuana as a sacrament has a lineage descending from the Jewish sect, the Essenes. References to being spiritually illuminated in a cloud of smoking incense could have parallels with the use of cannabis by the Scythians of Central Asia. Many users of cannabis today recount feelings of "oneness with God", "peace and tranquility", "reduced anxiety", "a greater understanding of life" and a "greater appreciation of music and art". Spirituality and music, in particular, seem inextricably linked to cannabis culture.