I tried cannabis 3 times in my youth: the first time it did nothing, the second time it did nothing but burn a hole in my new silk skirt when a lump of hot resin fell out of the end, the third time I sat on the sofa next to my best friend and we laughed our heads off at nothing for 5 minutes – at which point I decided it was a waste of money and never bothered with it again. Not being purple suede, it’s just not my bag, man. 🙂
On the other hand, I think it’s possible Brother C. could have laid hands on some cannabis during his time in the Holy Land (there’s archaeological evidence that it was burned on alters in Israelite ceremonies during that period), but I’m not sure he or anyone else in the region at that time, would have known of any use for it beyond ‘getting high’. I think it was used medicinally in the Far East, but not the Holy Lands.
Book-wise I’m still on ‘Ten Second Staircase’.