As strange as it may seem, and despite the fact that today we still have to be in the dark about the legalization of marijuana, there are many peoples on the planet who honor cannabis as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
And we are not referring to exotic cultures, remote countries or religions in which marijuana has played a fundamental role from its origins. They are peoples, cultures and traditions that you have here next door, much closer than you imagine. The explanation? At the time we already talked about the differences between hemp and marijuana and the fact that today we can find peoples that pay tribute to cannabis explains very well why despite being the same plant we are talking about different things.
The importance of hemp cultivation in the world
Considering that hemp is one of the oldest agricultural crops on the planet, it is no wonder that there are still cultures that remember it even on their shields. It is hard to imagine what would have happened to many journeys, discoveries and highlights in history without the presence of the cannabis fiber.
Do you want to know some curiosities about hemp? It was used, for example, in the making of the sails and ropes used in the ships that carried Christopher Columbus to America or in the documents and the flag with which the Americans declared their independence. Casina nothing!
Without going any further, in Spain for several centuries it was the base of an important industry dedicated to the manufacture of fishing materials that little by little has been replaced by synthetic fiber and has only remained as something testimonial.
But as in some municipalities in Spain, there are other corners of the world that do not forget their close connection with cannabis and still remember it in many of its symbols despite the fact that the confusion between marijuana and hemp has damaged this tradition so much. this type of industry.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Cañamares (Cuenca)
Imagine that one weekend you take the car, you go on a rural getaway, you end up touring Cuenca and you come across a town called Cañamares. The name is already quite suspicious, but as long as you come across the shield, you will no longer have any doubts. Where did this come from?
The cañameros, a very appropriate name for the residents of this municipality of 700 inhabitants located about 60 kilometers from Cuenca, are very proud of the history that binds them to hemp. This was for many years the main crop of the region and thanks to this the town managed to prosper. Now hemp has a leading place in its coat of arms: three little green plants with five leaves of different sizes that grow harmoniously on a soil of the same color.
Santa Cruz de los Cáñamos (Ciudad Real)
We are still in Spanish territory and with equally evocative names, in this case with much less space for interpretation. Santa Cruz de los Cáñamos is a small town in the Campo de Montiel region, in Ciudad Real. His name has more than five centuries old It is also due to the extensive hemp crops that already covered this area in the 16th century.
Two large marijuana leaves preside over its coat of arms, guarding a castle as centenary as the tradition of hemp cultivation in the area itself. Of course, yellow and green are the main colors of this cannabis image.
Cannabriends (Oise Valley, France)
We continue this interesting journey through the geography of hemp crossing the border and heading towards French lands to visit another town whose name is also very striking. Cannabriends, a French commune in the north of the country, nestled between mountains in the heart of the Oise Valley in Chennevières-lès-Louvres, is one of those regions where the history of hemp is still very much present.
So present that this plant is still cultivated today And although it no longer has the same weight in the clothing industry or the manufacture of rope and other accessories of the kind, it occupies its special place both in the community and in the coat of arms that identifies it: a golden branch with five marijuana leaves guarded by two lily flowers and protected by the figure of a rampant lion in the upper left corner.
Hamme (Belgium)
Still further north, already in Belgian territory, this devotion to hemp also continues to be manifested in part of its popular culture. An example of this is the Hamme region, between Ghent and Antwerp, on whose shield you can clearly see not only several marijuana leaves but the entire plant in its splendor. And is that the particularity of this badge is that it also shows the first buds already emerging.
Next to the cannabis plant there is a flax plant. It is a reflection of how the two most important crops of the place are the ones that have finally come to occupy the leading role of its shield.
Kimovsky (Rusia)
And finally we reached the Kimovsky district, in southern Russia, where despite the low temperatures the cultivation of hemp also had its peak period. At least that is how this shield testifies that even today it pays tribute to the marijuana plant that, yes, in this case is represented a little more musty than in the previous examples.
Kimovsky’s shield shows three fallen leaf plants crowned by yellow seeds in the upper part and on a red, white and black background, which are the distinctive colors of the Tula region, to which this district belongs.
