Strain Library

Ethiopia

Ethiopian

Also called Ethiopia, Ethiopian Landrace, Ethiopian Highland, Ethiopia North

Cannabis has been in Ethiopia for many centuries, although when and how it arrived is uncertain. Scholars say it reached eastern Africa roughly a thousand years ago, and chemical work reported in the 1970s found cannabis traces on archaeological finds dated to about the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The name 'Ethiopian' in seed catalogues covers lines of uncertain provenance; one documented example is The Landrace Team's collection from highland farmers in the Amhara region in late 2019. No published study appears to define a single Ethiopian landrace, so the picture here is thin.

Region
Northern highlands, Amhara Region
How sure we are
Mostly lore. Early cannabis presence in Ethiopia has some scholarly support, but no published work defining an Ethiopian landrace was found and Western seed provenance is thin.
Keep in mind
Seed lines sold as Ethiopian come from varied sources of uncertain provenance, and the highlands hold diverse local plants, so the name does not denote one defined landrace.

Timeline

  1. c. 1000 onward Cannabis reaches eastern Africa roughly a thousand years ago, according to geographer Chris Duvall. Source
  2. 13th-14th century Archaeological finds from Ethiopia, carbon-dated to around 1320, reportedly carry chemical traces of cannabis; the study (van der Merwe, published 1975) is cited in later African history work. Source
  3. October-November 2019 The Landrace Team reports an expedition to the Amhara region, collecting seed from local farmers at about 2,500 to 2,800 metres. Source

Sources

  1. The Paper (2022), interview with geographer Chris Duvall, 'Cannabis and Africa'
  2. Wikipedia, Cannabis in Ethiopia (encyclopedia; cites Rubin 1975, MacLeod 2014)
  3. Philips (1983), Journal of African History survey of archaeological evidence (its reference list includes van der Merwe's Ethiopian study)
  4. Harvard Magazine (2001), Craig Lambert, mentions van der Merwe's work on roughly 600-year-old Ethiopian finds
  5. SeedFinder, Ethiopia (North) by The Landrace Team (seed-bank entry; industry lore)

All landrace strainsThe cannabis timeline

Written from the sources above. Informational only, not medical advice.