A controversial author and expert has claimed that Jesus Christ used cannabis oil in order to perform his “miracles” in the Middle East more than 2,000 years ago. David Bienenstock said that the substance was widely available at the time and that many used it to treat the sick and infirm, therefore it stands to reason that Jesus included it in his anointing oils as well.
iStock/Danielzgombic- Early holy anointing oils contained kaneh-bosem. Bienenstock says the name suggests that it was a form of cannabis extract that, when absorbed into the skin, could go a long way in helping to cure those with mental and physical illnesses. No wonder Jesus was seen as a miracle worker!
- Many historians claim Bienenstock is full of crap. They say there’s little to no evidence that kaneh-bosem had anything to do with cannabis and that what evidence does exist is so thin as to be not worth noting.
- However, Jesus certainly would have had access to cannabis oil. As Bienenstock told the Daily Star: “Historical records show that cannabis was widely available at the time – they would’ve known how to grow it and exploit its medicinal properties. There is nothing different in the efficacious cannabis oil used today that wouldn’t have been available to people in Jesus’ time – it’s simply a matter of concentrating the cannabis into the oil and absorbing it through the skin.”
- No one actually knows what kaneh-bosem is. The Hebrew version of the holiday oil recipe in the book of Exodus is said to include roughly six pounds of kaneh-bosem, which has yet to be identified in modern times. Some believe it was calamus, a root extract also known as Sweet Flag. However, others say it was definitely a form of cannabis extract. “The ancient anointed ones were literally drenched in this potent mixture,” cannabis researcher Chris Bennett told High Times. “The medical use of cannabis during that time is supported by archaeological records.”
- Jesus probably took cannabis himself. According to Bennett, there’s pretty much no way Jesus didn’t dabble with cannabis in some form given how prevalent it was at the time. “Jesus himself was anointed, and if that anointing involved using cannabis oil, then he certainly did use it,” he claimed. “When you examine the account of Jesus’ anointing it is described in terms of psychoactivity – it is described in terms of when Jesus has this profound experience that transforms him. This is a big indication of the centrality of anointing was to Jesus and his flock – that he would take the name ‘Christ the anointed.'”
