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Illustrated groups of figures seen in a field harvesting hemp plants much larger than them. On one side, there is a pile of tools.
Illustration of harvesting large hemp plants.

Marijuana/hemp first arrives in North America.

1611

MJ
COL
Illustration of harvesting large hemp plants.

The Jamestown settler-colonists bring the marijuana plant, commonly known as hemp, to North America in 1611. Throughout the colonial period, hemp fiber is an important export. In 1762, "Virginia awarded bounties for hemp culture and manufacture, and imposed penalties on those who did not produce it" (Britannica, n.d.).