DID SHAKESPEARE SMOKE CANNABIS?

A South African scientist claims to have evidence that the Bard was actually a stoner.

William Shakespeare sought inspiration by smoking weed in the sort of pipe commonly referred to as a “bong”, a South African scientist has claimed.

In a paper published in the South African Journal of Science, Francis Thackeray suggested the playwright used cannabis as a “stimulant which had mind stimulating properties”. Thackeray analysed the “plant residues” found in the tobacco pipes used in Stratford Upon Avon during the 17th century -some of which were found in the Bard’s garden.
He assessed 24 of these pipes and found traces of cannabis in eight samples -and Peruvian cocaine in two.”[There was] unquestionable evidence for the smoking of coca leaves in early 17th century England, based on chemical evidence from two pipes in the Stratford-upon-Avon area. Neither of the pipes came from the garden of Shakespeare. Four of the pipes with cannabis came from Shakespeare’s garden,” Thackeray said.

Since he first tested the old bongs in 2001, Thackeray has been on a miss ..