The dry environment and alkaline soil of the desert had preserved this ‘stash’ almost perfectly, as the cannabis retained its green color and still contained resin glands (trichomes). Researchers noticed several important things about this ancient sample. First, there was a lack of stalks or any parts of male cannabis plants. This implies separation of the male and female plants, which is strong evidence that the plants were purposefully cultivated. Not only that but it also hints that the plants were cultivated specifically for their chemical content, as female cannabis plants produce more cannabinoids when not fully seeded. The seeds that were found in the sample, when examined by botanists, showed “traits of domestication.

The dry environment and alkaline soil of the desert had preserved this ‘stash’ almost perfectly, as the cannabis retained its green color and still contained resin glands (trichomes). Researchers noticed several important things about this ancient sample. First, there was a lack of stalks or any parts of male cannabis plants. This implies separation of the male and female plants, which is strong evidence that the plants were purposefully cultivated. Not only that but it also hints that the plants were cultivated specifically for their chemical content, as female cannabis plants produce more cannabinoids when not fully seeded. The seeds that were found in the sample, when examined by botanists, showed “traits of domestication.