this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
354 points (98.1% liked)

Memes

55888 readers
1109 users here now

Rules:

  1. Be civil and nice.
  2. Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.

founded 7 years ago
MODERATORS
 

top 25 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] imsufferableninja@sh.itjust.works 48 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's pretty cool actually

[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 54 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Unfortunately for its coolness factor they didn't smoke it. They just grew a lot of hemp for its many uses.

[–] Prunebutt@slrpnk.net 29 points 1 month ago

Still cool.

[–] Pissed@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

The cool thing is soviet hemp wasn't restricted to the same weird THC laws that western industrial hemp was which only benefited big AG , it naturally had a higher THC content so I've read some stuff about East German guys smoking industrial hemp it wasn't as strong as the drug strains but you probably got a buzz.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Afaik, it eventually got there before the USSR ended, so hemp fields were restricted areas, and its use was in decline starting at some point. Not sure if I can find sources for that

[–] Pissed@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago

Found some people talking about it in German stoner mags

[–] Arcanepotato@crazypeople.online 39 points 1 month ago

I am a victim of not being a cannabis master 😭

[–] Lenins_Dumbbell@lemmygrad.ml 24 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Every new thing I learn about the USSR makes it more based

[–] robot_dog_with_gun@hexbear.net 15 points 1 month ago

and everything i learn about the USA makes it worse

funny how that is i wonder why clueless

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Do not believe everything you learn from the internet

— Lenin

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

In this case, it is literally true that hemp growers were given medals for astounding performance.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 3 points 1 month ago

This case is undisputable, I meant it more in a general sense

[–] orc_princess@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 month ago

Lenin was so ahead of his time

[–] Infamousblt@hexbear.net 19 points 1 month ago
[–] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Damn that's some high praise.

Also, which is it libs? Did the USSR have a war on drugs a million times worse than the US where even touching a weed leaf got you the death penalty or was cannabis so normalized the government literally gave awards to producers? I've mostly heard the former in countries like Canada along the lines of "we never would have legalised weed if we were socialist! You'd be dead or in a gulag right now, stoner commie!"

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

As far as I know it wasn't grown for recreational use, but for the utility in the plant for textiles and potentially medicinal use.

[–] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

That makes sense. But still, tons of countries criminalize hemp as a material even with negligible THC levels. Which is bullshit even if you think recreational cannabis is bad.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago
[–] deathmetaldawgy@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

As someone who loves smokin me some weed is there any info i could read on ussr relationship with growing/using cannabis? I know China doesn’t really take too kindly to it, which sucks, I hate that any country will let you get drunk off your ass and choke down cigarettes but will criminalize weed. Not shame to China I’m a #1 Stan in just curious, I’d be curious to know more about weed & China too

[–] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

There's a strong cultural aversion in China to drugs in general (in large part due to the trauma of the Opium Wars) that need to be overcome for cannabis to be accepted, and there are signs that some progress is being made albiet very very slowly. But like you said it's indeed a contradiction that alcohol and tobacco is much more normalized. I think a lot of the heavy handed drug enforcement in China is conflated to be due to socialism, but IMO it's more due to culture and the socialist government, as any government should, conforms to the will of the majority on this issue. So the majority opinion/culture needs to shift first, kind of like the path toward legalization in Canada was in response to a similar cultural shift in its population. Am Chinese but don't live in China so this is second hand information though.

[–] CyroSignal@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago

"This is our cannabis"

[–] krolden@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 month ago
[–] vietnoomer@lemdro.id 11 points 1 month ago

🔜⏳🥦🏰⚒️🔥

[–] Midnight_Pearl@hexbear.net 11 points 1 month ago

look at what those filthy commies did! frothingfash

points to literally the coolest thing ever

[–] drath@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

And this is a cover of a children's book telling how to grow hemp. They were definitely onto something...