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Science & Tech80 outlets ran this3 min read

Cannabis Use for Psychoactive Purposes Dates Back 2,800 Years, Study Suggests

Findings in a Siberian tomb indicate earlier use than previously documented in China.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Archaeologist at the University of Bern Gino Caspari touches a cannabis plant in the Altai Mountains, Siberia, Russia, in Sept. 2016. (Frozen Corpses Golden Treasures, T.Wallace & G. Caspari via AP)

What this story says

  • Archaeologists suggest cannabis was used for psychoactive purposes at least 2,800 years ago, based on findings in a Siberian tomb.
  • The study analyzed cannabis seeds and preserved human hair from the Tunnug 1 site in southern Siberia.
  • These findings indicate cannabis use for psychoactive purposes may predate previously known use in China by 300 years.
  • Some independent experts have raised skepticism regarding the hair analysis and the strength of the evidence for psychoactive use.

Who covered it

Left 26%(19)Centre 57%(41)Right 17%(12)

Percentages are shares of the 72 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 8 of the 80 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

60/100

Craft

65/100

Hype

25/100

80 sources · methodology

Evidence suggests that cannabis was used for its psychoactive effects at least 2,800 years ago, according to a new study. Archaeologists excavating the Tunnug 1 site in southern Siberia discovered cannabis seeds and preserved human hair within a monumental tomb. The findings, published in the journal Science, propose that this use of cannabis for psychoactive purposes may be 300 years older than previously documented instances in China.

The research team, comprising scientists from Germany, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland, analyzed materials from the Tunnug 1 site, which is associated with the Scythians, ancient nomads. The tomb contained over 1,000 cannabis seeds, which were radiocarbon dated. Alongside the seeds, preserved human hair was also found. Researchers noted the rarity of finding both plant material and human soft tissue with active compounds in the same context.

Disagreement on Evidence Strength

While the study suggests psychoactive use, some independent experts have voiced reservations. Volker Auwaerter, head of forensic toxicology at the University Medical Center in Freiburg, Germany, described the hair analysis as "scientifically weak" and stated there was insufficient evidence to confirm cannabis use for its psychoactive properties. He suggested the hair could have acquired traces of cannabis through environmental exposure rather than consumption. However, Elisa Guerra Doce, a supporter of toxicological hair analysis in archaeology, indicated that such methods have been used to identify the consumption of psychoactive substances and supported the authors' conclusion that cannabis was consumed, not merely offered.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention the specific concerns raised by independent expert Volker Auwaerter regarding the scientific weakness of the hair analysis and the potential for environmental contamination. Similarly, none of the centre-rated digests detail Auwaerter's specific criticisms of the hair analysis or the strength of the evidence for psychoactive use.

Tags:#Archaeology#Science#Cannabis#AncientHistory#Siberia

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 6 Nov 2026, 09:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

19 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports focused on the suggestion that people were using cannabis for psychoactive purposes nearly 2,800 years ago. Several reports highlighted the discovery of cannabis seeds and preserved hair in a Siberian tomb as evidence of the earliest known use for such effects. The Independent and The Independent (US) both used headlines stating people "may have been getting high off cannabis 'almost 2,800 years ago'." The Toronto Star, The Record, and The Seattle Times also led with the study's suggestion of early psychoactive cannabis use. Watauga Democrat's headline, "Stoned Age? People have been getting ‘high’ on cannabis for 2,800 years," also reflected this emphasis.

Centre

41 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports highlighted the discovery of cannabis seeds and preserved hair in a Siberian tomb as pointing to the oldest signs of cannabis use for highs, dating back 2,800 years. 7NEWS Australia noted that the "ancient burial site reveals early humans’ drug habits." Many reports, including those from CTV News, Washington Top News, Sun-Sentinel, My Mother Lode, and KPVI, used headlines similar to "Seeds, preserved hair in tomb point to oldest signs of cannabis high 2,800 years ago, study suggests." Discover Magazine's headline focused on "Human Hair in a 2,800-Year-Old Tomb Points to What May Be the Earliest Known Cannabis High."

Right

12 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports focused on the discovery of ancient cannabis use in Siberia, with several using headlines like "Siberian Tomb Reveals 2,800-Year-Old Cannabis Use" (Independent Journal Review) or "In Siberia, They Found the Most Ancient Traces of Cannabis Use" (vz.ru). BNR Nieuwsradio's headline stated, "Siberian Nomads Were Already Using Weed 2,800 Years Ago." Arab News reported that "Seeds, preserved hair in tomb point to oldest signs of cannabis high 2,800 years ago, study suggests," and noted that "skepticism remains among some experts regarding the findings." Dagens Nyheter reported on a "Drug Test in Siberian Burial Mound Reveals Cannabis Use 2,800 Years Ago."

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Cannabis Use for Psychoactive Purposes Dates Back 2,800 Years, Study…?
Of the 72 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 26% are rated left, 57% are rated centre, 17% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 80. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Cannabis Use for Psychoactive Purposes Dates Back 2,800 Years, Study… left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 72 rated outlets on this story, 26% are rated left, 57% are rated centre, 17% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Cannabis Use for Psychoactive Purposes Dates Back 2,800 Years, Study… biased?
Cannabis Use for Psychoactive Purposes Dates Back 2,800 Years, Study Suggests is one event reported by 80 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Cannabis Use for Psychoactive Purposes Dates Back 2,800 Years, Study…?
80 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What evidence suggests early cannabis use?
Archaeologists found cannabis seeds and preserved human hair in a 2,800-year-old tomb at the Tunnug 1 site in southern Siberia. Analysis of these materials suggests the plant was used for psychoactive purposes.
How does this finding compare to previous knowledge?
The study suggests that cannabis use for psychoactive purposes may have occurred at least 2,800 years ago, potentially predating previously known use in China by 300 years.
Are there any doubts about these findings?
Yes, some independent experts, such as Volker Auwaerter, have expressed skepticism about the hair analysis and the strength of the evidence for psychoactive use, suggesting the hair might have been exposed to cannabis rather than having consumed it.

Read it at the source

80 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

19
Show 11 more

Centre

41
Show 33 more

Right

12
Show 4 more

Not rated

8

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